The End of Max Gentry
by Raderle
Summary: An undercover operation leaves Deeks fighting for his life. The team and the medical staff are scrambling to try to find out what's wrong with him.
1. Chapter 1: INTRO

I love them but they're not mine…and they never will be…but I can play with them! My minions and I are just borrowing them for a while. I promise we'll give them back in the same shape we found them in. I don't have a beta reader so any and all errors are mine alone. I also don't have a medical background. I did research symptoms for this story, but if it isn't correct chalk it up to creative license. All constructive criticism is welcomed. If you don't like the story but don't have anything constructive to say…then all I can suggest is that you don't read it!

This story takes place a few months after Kensi comes back from Afghanistan. Everything in italics is either memories or thoughts.

INTRO: August 3rd

Kensi stood in the emergency room with tears streaming down her cheeks. Sam's strong arms kept her upright as she watched Marty being wheeled away, completely limp and unresponsive while a paramedic administered CPR. It was exactly opposite of how he had been onsite. Then he had been screaming profanities and straining against the handcuffs

Callen had put on him. He had been extremely combative at the warehouse, even slugging Callen as soon as his handcuffs were removed. Then to just collapse like he did scared the crap out of her. She thought once the meet was over, everything would be fine, and they could go home together. But now Marty wasn't breathing and no one knew what was wrong. They just knew he was in bad shape and needed medical help immediately.

"Sam he stopped breathing in the ambulance. What will I do if we lose him. No one knows what really happened or what's wrong with him" she cried.

All Sam could do was hug Kensi "I don't know Kens, but he's strong, he'll make it. He promised you and he always keeps his promises." He was worried about Deeks, everyone was, and they were mad as hell at whoever had done this to him, but he didn't want to worry Kensi any more than she already was. He had never seen her like this before. She usually kept her emotions locked up tight behind impenetrable walls, but she had become more open the longer she and Deeks were partnered together. Not for the first time Sam realized just how good he was for Kensi. He always had her back and knew just what to do for her no matter what type of mood she was in. He knew when she needed her sugar fix or what to say to get a rise out of her when that was needed. He always seemed to have a smile on his face. Sam knew that smile hid a lot of demons and unwanted memories and was Deeks way of getting through days that turned out to be bad for all of them. He kept the whole team from imploding just by making a wisecrack at just the right time. It had taken Sam a long time to really understand him and value him for the fine man, cop and liaison he was and hopefully one day the great agent Sam knew he could be. The torture he and Deeks had endured at Siderov's hands had one good outcome and that was that Sam and Deeks were friends and becoming better friends and team mates every day.

"That wasn't Marty in the warehouse, that was Max and that scares me. How do I know Marty is still even in there? Maybe he's finally lost himself in Max. Sam, he was so afraid he might lose himself in that alias one day. Especially if something bad happened while he was under. He was afraid of what he might do as Max." _Kensi remembered Marty confessing just before leaving_ "_I'm afraid that one of these days, I'll lose myself in Max. He scares me Kens. He's so strong. What if I'm not strong enough to come back if something happens." She had tried to reassure him he was stronger than his alias but wasn't sure she had gotten through to him. _

Kensi stood there hoping that somehow in his current condition he would remember that he was Marty not Max and that she loved him. _"He looks fragile but he's not. He's strong, so strong…and smart, smarter than me…and funny. He always knows just what to say to me. He knows me so well. I wish I had realized I love him sooner. I wasted so much time hiding my feelings because I was scared. We could have had years together instead of months. God I hope we have more time. I need more time with him." _ She knew if Marty didn't come back to her, her heart would shatter and she would never be the same because no one would ever be able to put her back together again.

~,~,~


	2. Chapter 2: In the Mission

It was a typical afternoon at the Mission. Eric and Nell were in OPS. Hetty's "A" team was trying to finish their paperwork from two previous cases, one that had finally been closed the night before, so that they could go home and enjoy their evening. The usual banter was flying back and forth between the junior partners while Sam and G were sitting back enjoying the show and throwing in a comment now and again.

"Kens…help me finish my paperwork and I'll buy you Rocky Road ice cream for dessert." pleaded Marty.

"No way Deeks! Finish your own paperwork."

"Why not…come on Kensalina…you know you love it when I indulge your sugar addiction…I'm just as sweet…and you know you love me…because I'm awesome!"

"You're a pig Deeks"

"Oink, oink…But I'm your pig, Sugarbear."

Kensi rolled her eyes, "Maybe in your fantasies!"

"Aw Kens…princess…sunshine…light of my life…wonder woman?"

"Aargh! Enough!...and don't you dare pout!"

"I'm not pouting." Marty sighed. "It's just my hands are cramping from all this writing. I don't see why I have to fill out two different reports for every case. They say the same things, just in a different format."

"Mr. Deeks, if you don't like filling out two reports, maybe you can convince LAPD to accept our forms for your reports to them about our cases" Hetty said from behind him.

Deeks spun around so fast, he slipped and almost landed on his butt…"God Hetty! Don't sneak up on me like that. You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Are you saying you're out of shape? Maybe Mr Hanna can help you train to get back in fighting form"

"What? No that's not what I'm saying… not at all. I'm fine…I'm better than fine…I'm awesome, as usual…really. I don't need Sam's help." Deeks whined.

"Aren't you protesting a little too much there Shaggy? Sam just had to get his two-cents in. "You do look a little soft there…two much 'indulging' with Kensi after work and not enough working out maybe?"

"Seriously…no…I work out…and surf and, wait…really…indulging…what do you mean indulging?"

"Yeah Sam, what do you mean" Kensi gave Sam her patented glare. "Please explain what type of 'indulging' you're referring to. I'm sure we would all like to know." If looks could kill, Sam would be dead on the floor.

Before more snarky comments could be thrown around, Hetty's phone rang and she proceeded to her office but not before telling everyone to get back to their paperwork. Groans were heard all around but then hands got busy and keyboards were smoking. "How does she do that? I swear she's like some ninja!" Marty whispered to Kensi.

"She's Hetty, no one knows how she does it. Let's get done so we can go home" she whispered back making sure Sam and Callen didn't hear her as she watched a smirk light up Deeks' face and his eyes begin to sparkle. "You're trying to get me alone so you can ravish me…you wicked woman!"

"Shut up Deeks before they hear you", Kensi squeaked as she felt heat flushing throughout her body at the thought of getting her hands on his tanned body and in his hair later that evening.

~,~,~

Marty and Kensi had finally talked about their relationship after she returned from Afghanistan. Details about their hopes and fears and their terrible communication skills all came out. They discussed their feelings about what Siderov did to him, and her time in Afghanistan and both ended up crying.

_"When I saw you in that chair, my heart stopped. I thought you were dead. And…I had to leave you there even after you begged me to get you out of there. All I wanted to do was get you out of that chair but I couldn't or else Michelle would have died. I will never forget the look on your face, the fear, the disappointment in me and the disbelief that I would leave you there. After all of that, and our first night together, I punch you in the face over not taking the shot and then yell at you for taking the next shot; then get reassigned and we don't even get to say goodbye to each other. Why don't you hate me! I'm a terrible person. I'll never forgive myself" she had cried. _

_He had wiped the tears from her face while swiping one hand over his own face to remove his tears. He tried to put into words everything he had been thinking after the torture. "I thought you were my personal angel come to rescue me and I can't say I wasn't angry when you left me there. I was so out of it I didn't really understand what you said to me…all I could understand was I had to stay there and take a bullet from Michelle" he whispered. "I knew I couldn't give her up. I didn't want to give Sam the satisfaction of proving to him I was the weak one without any character. And I won't ever let another child go through anything remotely like I went through as a child, not if I can help it. But there were moments I just wanted to die to make the pain end. Siderov was right in my face with his hands holding my head so I couldn't move while that other bastard was using the drill. It kept getting hotter the longer it was in my mouth. The few times they left me alone I had to watch them electrocuting Sam."_

_She had continued crying "When I heard later what he had said to you in the park, I wanted to beat him to a pulp. If he hadn't already been in the hospital, I probably would have"_

_"There's my wonder woman. Kens I meant it when I said that you were what got me through it. You were the only thing that got me through. Once I finally got my head straight and was able to piece everything together to see the whole picture, I knew why you had to do it. There is nothing you have to forgive yourself for. You did what you had to do and I'm not angry with you, Fern. I don't blame you; really I don't. I understand how hard it was for you and to be perfectly honest, I would probably have done the same thing in the same circumstances even though it would have destroyed me completely to leave you. You're stronger that I am…and I'm okay with that…not everyone can be 'badass Bly'." Trying to lighten the atmosphere a little bit, he continued "Now when you punched me, it pissed me off for a while because I really didn't think I had the shot until I thought about it later."_

_"Yes and then Max and Fern met." she replied._

_"And then you called me crazy for saving your life and taking the shot in the meat locker!"_

_"You are crazy, but you're mine and I love you." Kensi kissed him to shut him up. _

They talked about their relationship and decided that what went on in their private lives would be kept away from work. The 'don't tell' rule was firmly in place so they kept up with their normal banter and bickering while in the office. They didn't want to give Granger any excuses to separate them so at work he was Deeks and she was Kensi, or one of his pet names the others knew about. At home they were themselves. No more pretenses or evasions.

Kensi never admitted it to anyone but she loved it when he called her pet names. It was just the way he was and it gave her goose bumps whenever she thought about it. Who knew that she could be so 'girly' and romantic. She would never have thought so before she met Marty. She felt she had to be better and tougher then everyone else to prove herself. Her walls had been built up and reinforced so much after Jack left that she didn't think anything or anyone would ever be able to breach them, but Marty had somehow found the key. He wormed his way through the weak spots in her armor and knew just when to push and when to back off. He didn't let her get away with anything, he could read her like a book. When he looked at her with those oh so blue eyes, all she could see was infinity. She had finally admitted that she loved him. She knew he loved her, but it had taken a lot of time, misunderstandings, arguments and coming close to dying at one time or another for both of them to admit their true feelings to themselves, let alone each other.

They weren't officially living together yet, but they might as well have been since they were either at his apartment together or at her apartment together. They hadn't spent a night apart since Kensi's return. She began remembering the previous evening and what began with the words "_…come here Fern…" _and ended with them in bed and could feel a slight blush creeping up her neck into her face. She hoped no one noticed but looking at Marty ("_I mean Deeks!"_ she thought to herself) she could tell he had noticed. He was giving her a smirk and piercing her heart with his ocean blue eyes. _"How does he do that to me by just looking at me!" s_he shivered feeling her pulse increasing as he kept looking at her.

~,~,~

Marty kept hoping Kensi would offer to help him with his paperwork, but she just sent him small smiles or rolled her eyes each time she noticed him looking at her. He even tried giving her his puppy dog eyes with a slight head tilt but that didn't do the trick either. He finally gave up with a sigh and went back to finishing his second version of his last report. Once he was done, he lifted his arms and yelled "That's it. I'm done, I'm out of here. Anyone want to go for a beer?"

"Mr. Deeks, please see me in my office." Hetty informed him.

"What have you done now Deeks? I think you're in trouble." G snickered.

"Seriously, you're going there…you know you're wrong. Hetty likes me. I'm her favorite Callen" Deeks retorted as he walked toward her office.

"In your dreams!" Callen yelled.


	3. Chapter 3:Talking to Hetty

Still not mine…still don't have a beta reader so any and all errors are mine alone.

Hetty has just called Marty into her office. What does she want?...and on with the story.

Enjoy

"Have a seat Mr. Deeks. Would you like some tea? I just brewed a pot of some nice Gushan Silver Needles White tea from China. I find it a very relaxing tea."

"You know I prefer coffee, Hetty, or my tea cold, and bottled in America" Deeks declined with a smile.

"Come, Mr. Deeks, at least take a sip. You might find you like it."

Deciding to try a sip just to please her, he was surprised. It had a hint of peach to the flavor and the color reminded him of early mornings at the beach when the sun was just over the horizon and there was a shimmer to the air.

"This is actually good Hetty. What did you say the name was?"

"Gushan Silver Needles White tea" came the reply.

"So, what did you want to see me for?"

"I've just had a very interesting discussion with Lt. Bates. LAPD needs you to go undercover again. They have information that a shipment of arms from the Contreras cartel will be arriving in LA. The cartel is looking for someone to broker the deal with the buyers. The buyers are new to the cartel so they want someone they know and trust involved on this end for the first shipment. Lt. Bates indicated your alias Max Gentry has worked with the Contreras cartel before." she explained.

Marty didn't want to go back under cover as Max, he hated that alias. It never ended well for him when he was Max and he hated what he had to do as Max with a passion. Every time he went under as Max, it was harder to come back to being himself, to being Marty. "How long will the assignment be? Did Bates tell you?

"He thinks it will take about a month maybe less. LAPD feels if they can intercept the shipment and round up the players here in the states, they can deal the cartel a death blow. The cartel has run into problems lately with deals falling apart. The ongoing gang war with other cartels in the area has devastated their leadership. A joint task force consisting of the Mexican authorities, the FBI and DEA have also taken out their old buyers. This shipment is a desperation move on their part which is why they are even considering working with new buyers. I wish you didn't have to do this but you are still part of LAPD. Now if you signed the papers to become an agent, this wouldn't happen again." she slyly added.

Marty sat and thought about it. "_Maybe it's time to sign the papers…to do what Hetty has been wanting me to do. But am I ready to become a full-fledged NCIS agent and quit LAPD? I've always considered myself a cop at heart. At least I know now that the team feels like I'm one of them. It only took the …'unscheduled dental work', three days in the hospital after saving Michelle and three months getting my head straight for Sam and Callen to see it. Kensi always trusted me. But am I sure this is the right decision for me?_"

Hetty waited patiently while Deeks continued to sip tea and think. She could tell he was giving the idea serious consideration. When he finally came to the decision to sign the papers as soon this assignment was complete he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Hetty could tell the moment he came to his decision.

He always hated leaving Kensi and not having her back in the field. Now he wouldn't have to leave her again once this assignment was completed. It was unsettling to know that he would be on his own during this operation but at least this would be the final time. He also hated the thought he wouldn't have OPS to back him up in the field. He had grown used to having them in his ear when he was undercover and knowing the whole team had his back if he needed them.

As if Hetty could read his mind she informed him "I've offered NCIS's help in providing support for this operation and Lt. Bates agreed that it would be a good idea if we worked together. The FBI and DEA will be working with us and LAPD on this end and the Mexican authorities will let us know as soon as the shipment leaves Mexico. Nell and Eric are working on your alias right now making sure there are no holes in Max's recent history that might throw up any red flags to the cartel. Since you haven't been heard from recently, they are adding some information that you've been recovering from some injuries incurred during your last contract and are only now beginning to look for another opportunity."

Marty breathed a sigh of relief at Hetty's words. "Great, let me get something from my desk and I'll be right back." Marty returned to his desk without looking at any of his teammates, retrieved the paperwork to become an NCIS agent and walked back to the office. Kensi looked up and tried catching his eye, but he just kept walking. She turned and looked at Callen and Sam and shrugged her shoulders with a questioning look in her eyes. None of them knew what was happening and she for one had a bad feeling about it. She felt like someone had just walked across her grave. Callen had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach and Sam just felt twitchy. All of them were beginning to worry about their liaison officer.

When Deeks got back, he sat down, opened the folder, signed the papers and handed them to Hetty. Giving him a questioning look, she asked him "Are you sure, I thought being a police officer was who you are?"

"It is, but I've finally realized that it's not all I am. I think I can do more good if I sign the papers. I can't keep working for two masters. I don't feel like I'm doing justice to either job this way. And I don't think its fair to the team for LAPD to pull me away whenever they want. Um…you've all become my family. You've been there through everything that happened, the human trafficking, the shooting, finding my dad, then Lasik, …and then, well you know."

"Siderov?"

"Yes, Siderov; that and so much more. You've always been there for me, even before I knew it. Hell, Hetty you got me out of LAPD before I was killed during one of my undercover operations. Looking back at it now, I know it was only a matter of time before something happened to me because the backstopping on the aliases I used then was pathetic. I was lucky if I had a fake driver's license, let alone any kind of extensive backstopping. LAPD just doesn't have the resources. You practically shanghaied me in that bar! I couldn't figure out what you saw in me or why you even wanted me. Even when I didn't know or understand why you did something, I figured you weren't doing it without a good reason. When you sent Kensi away, I was really angry. I couldn't understand why she was sent away, but I understand now why you did it."

"I never meant to hurt you when I sent her on assignment, I'm sorry you felt that way. It wasn't to punish you in any way."

"No it's all good, I'm at peace with it and I do understand why it had to be done. Um, please don't tell anyone I signed the papers. I want to do that once I get back from this assignment."

"Do you think that's wise?"

"I'm not really sure…I just…I want this to be over and done with before I tell the team. And…well…Hetty, after this operation, Max needs to die. I can't keep going back under as Max…I'm afraid one of these days, I'll lose myself and all that will be left is Max or else I'll do something as Max that ends up destroying me."

"Oh Mr Deeks, are you sure you can do this then? I don't want to lose you"

"Aw Hetty, I knew I was your favorite, I even told Callen that."

"You cheeky bugger!" Hetty laughed, hoping to get a smile from him.

Smiling, Marty said "Yeah, I know…I can do this. Just knowing that Max is going to die will keep me strong and able to complete this assignment. When do I need to report to Bates?

"Tomorrow noon. Get out of here and relax this evening. Report here first thing tomorrow at 9 am and I'll inform the rest of the team about the operation. Why don't you and Ms Bly can go out to dinner and relax this evening", Hetty had a knowing smile on her face.

"Really…I mean, me and Kensi…oh, well that's a good idea I guess…yes, I'll do that" Marty stammered as he high-tailed it out of Hetty's office wondering just how much she actually knew about what was going on. Knowing her, she knew more than he did!

~,~,~

Hetty followed him and told the team to leave the paperwork until the next day, enjoy their evening but be in a half hour earlier in the morning for an intel briefing. No one needed to be told twice. Deeks asked again about going out for beers but got no taker. Sam decided to spend time with his family and was the first to leave. G took off next saying he had something to do and would take a rain check on getting a beer. Nell and Eric told them they still had some work to do and would see them in the morning. Kensi told Deeks she was meeting a friend for the evening while giving him a wink and sauntering out of the bullpen. Deeks hurried after her knowing who the 'friend' was and looking forward to their evening.

Marty followed Kensi out to her car and after looking around to make sure they were alone he trapped her against her car and stole a quick kiss. "Meeting a friend are you? Do I know this friend? Should I be jealous?"

"Stop that, what if Hetty sees us?"

"She probably already knows and besides, technically we're no longer at work…and she would approve, I know it!" He grinned at her and stole another kiss. "I'll see you and your 'friend' at home. Maybe we can have a ménage à trois" he grinned at her.

"Marty!" she squealed. She watched him get in his car and then slid into her SRX and began driving toward Marty's apartment thinking as she went. _"Home…he's right, where he is, is home. Does Hetty really know about us? If she knows, why hasn't she said anything? Is he right that she approves?"_ Kensi mentally gave herself a shake and decided that she wasn't going to ruin her evening by worrying about whether or not Hetty knew about them.

Marty remembered he had teased Kens about ice cream for dessert so after picking up take-out Thai for dinner, he stopped by a minimart and picked up a carton for her. When he made it home, she was already there and giving Monty some much needed attention. When Marty walked in, Monty just gave him a look and rolled over so Kensi could continue rubbing his tummy while giving a sigh and closing his eyes in doggy pleasure.

"Thanks a lot Monty…you're supposed to be man's best friend…I'm the man around here, but I can see you love your Mommy better than your Daddy!" Deeks complained.

"Jealous much Marty?" Kensi snorted. "Where's my ice cream?"

"What ice cream? I brought dinner. I don't know anything about any ice cream. Did you want some dessert after dinner tonight? You should have told me Fern."

"What! But…but you said you would get me some Rocky Road. I know you did. She took a closer look at the way Marty was standing and went to snatch at the bag he was hiding behind his back. "What do you have behind your back then, huh?"

"Oh, you mean this? It's just something for me. After all if I remember correctly, you never did help me with my paperwork now did you? Pay backs a bitch isn't it Kiki" he smirked as he kept the carton of ice cream away from her frenzied attempts to grab it.

Kensi could play dirty too. "Hey, I walked Monty for you while I was waiting. Doesn't that deserve a treat?" she cooed while slipping her hands down his chest and onto his sides while lavishing him with sweet wet kisses. As she felt him lean into her touches, she began to tickle him.

Laughing he replied "Well since you put it that way Fern, I guess so. You know I think you just want to have your wicked way with me, you she devil. Stop that." he backed away from Kensi but she kept coming like she was going to continue tickling. "Okay, two can play at that game." grabbing her he pulled her down on the couch with him and began tickling her until she was cackling adorably and begging for mercy. Conceding a tie, Kensi sat up on the couch and cleaned off the coffee table while Marty dished up the Thai and promised ice cream after dinner. TV was turned to a reality show and they snuggled down on the couch to watch and eat.

Kensi kept waiting for Marty to tell her what was discussed in Hetty's office. When it looked like he wasn't going to say anything after they had demolished the bowls of ice cream in front of each of them, she switched off the TV and turned to him. "What's going on? What did Hetty want you for?" she asked.

Sighing, Marty replied "LAPD needs me for an undercover operation. I have to report to Bates tomorrow at noon."

Kensi's heart started racing and she couldn't help herself as she snuggled into him and tucked her head under his chin, "Marty, I don't want you to go, I have a bad feeling about this. They can't keep calling you back…can they? Why don't you just sign the papers already?"

"Kens, they need me to do this."

"What alias are you going to be using?"

"Max Gentry."

She choked up. "How long is it going to last?"

"About a month. Look Kens…I told Hetty that this is the last time I'm going under as Max. Hetty made a deal with Bates so that NCIS will be providing back up while I'm under. Eric and Nell are beefing up Max's recent history to make sure there are no holes in it. Everyone will be meeting in OPS tomorrow at 9 am to go over the entire operation. I'm counting on you to be my backup like always."

"I'll be there, you know that. Promise me you'll come home to me when this is over. Promise me you won't get yourself killed and leave me." Kensi whispered.

Marty engulfed her in a hug "I promise I will never leave you voluntarily. I promise I'll try my hardest to make sure nothing happens to me. I promise I will love you forever, beyond the end of time. You're my everything. You're what keeps me going…you're my sunshine and gunpowder."

"Your two favorite things," she sighed. "You know you're stronger than Max, right?"

"I hope so. He scares me Kens. I'm afraid that one of these days, I'll lose myself in Max. He's so strong. What if I'm not strong enough to come back if something happens while I'm him? So he dies after this assignment is over no matter what."

She tried to reassure him "You're stronger than you know and you're nothing like Max. Promise me you'll remember that I'm waiting for you and you are the strongest, kindest, gentlest, bravest man I've ever known. I love you, Marty, not Max. Max is nothing." Trailing her fingers down his arm she whispered "Come on, let's go to bed."

"Are you trying to have your wicked way with me Sugarbear?"

"Nope, just want to go to bed" Kensi purred, walking toward the bedroom and putting a little extra sway in her walk.

Marty felt like he couldn't breathe watching the way her hips moved. His body finally caught up with his thoughts and he sprinted after her "I'm coming…I definitely need to come to bed!"

~,~,~


	4. Chapter 4: Briefings and Becoming Max

Just checked…nope…still not mine. My minions and I have been dancing with joy at the follows, favs, reviews and views this story has received. Thanks so much.

I promise we'll give them back in the same shape we found them in.

Enjoy.

July 16th.

Everyone was in OPS for the briefing. Hetty began by outlining the undercover operation to bring down the Contreras cartel which Deeks would be part of. Before anyone could protest, she informed them that they would be backing him up while he was under as Max. Details regarding how the rest of the team would provide needed backup were provided along with burn phones and distress codes, just in case they were needed. She described the members of the task force they would be working with, then asked Eric and Nell to inform the team about the additional backstopping they had performed for Max.

Nell began "We used the time Deeks was shot as the reason he has been out of contact as Max. We changed quite a few of the details about the situation making it appear he was shot while working with a different client. We also made the wounds appear more serious. He's been recovering out of town but is now back and looking for a new job."

Eric continued "Since Max worked with the Contreras cartel before, they've been asking around to see if he's available."

"It will make it easy for you to go back in as Max" Nell interjected.

"Yeah, I worked with them a few years ago. When the bust went down, I was arrested with everyone else. I didn't have to appear in court so no one was the wiser. Do you know who's been asking around for Max?"

After bringing the information up on her computer, Nell continued "It's Riccardo Contreras". He put word out on the street that he's looking for Max. Working with Lt. Bates, we've set up an apartment for Max and quietly let it be known that he's back in LA."

"If no one has any questions, we'll let Mr. Deeks meet with Lt. Bates before he sets up the initial meet with Riccardo." No one had any questions, so Hetty concluded with "Mr. Deeks, please be assured that we're with you all the way. We've put a GPS tracker in your boots, your watch and your vehicle. The apartment is wired for sound and picture even though we don't think we'll need it. Your leather jacket has a button cam and a microphone in the right lapel of the jacket. You can turn the mic off if necessary by grabbing the lapel and pressing on the spot where the mic is. Try it now and we'll see if it works. Your phone has been set up with several numbers you can use to call the team if necessary. Is there anything else you would like us to do before you leave?"

"I don't think so. I'll let you know if I think of anything else." With that Deeks tried out the mic and to everyone's relief it worked the way it was supposed to. He said goodbye and walked out of OPS. Kensi jumped up and followed him, "I'll walk you to your car."

As soon as the door to OPS closed, she reached over and took Marty's hand in hers "I don't want you to go…but I know you have to so be careful and remember your promise. I can't lose you" she whispered while a lone tear rolled down her cheek. _"Dammit, I'm not going to cry. I'm not crying! I'm stronger than this!"_ she angrily told herself. But just thinking about him leaving again to go under cover as Max was killing her and she wanted him to know how she felt. "You know I love you, right? So you better come back, or I'll…I'll wash your cloths and turn them all purple again. You know I can do it!"

Seeing Kensi cry, even if it was just one tear, tore him up but he knew he had to leave so giving her a kiss he whispered back "Don't worry Fern, I'll be back" as he opened the car door and slid in. "I love you too. Take care of Monty for me. And I know you'd turn my clothes purple, you wouldn't be able to help yourself." he chuckled.

"I'll take care of Monty. And I'll be waiting for you. I'll try to be patient for you like you were for me when I was gone."

~,~,~

Deeks met with Bates to go over the details of the case. Once done, he gathered his thoughts and informed the lieutenant this assignment would be his last for LAPD.

"What do you mean, this is your last assignment Deeks? You work for LAPD. We need you."

"I've signed the papers to become an NCIS agent."

"What! If you've already signed the papers, where is your signed resignation from LAPD?"

"I have it right here." handing Lt. Bates the required resignation forms. "I've signed them but did't date them. I don't want the resignation to take affect until this last operation is completed. I can't leave without finishing this assignment."

"Thanks for that kid. I can't say I haven't been expecting it, but for a moment there, I thought you were backing out of this operation."

"Really…did you just call me 'kid'? Are you channeling Han Solo? Deeks smirked "I would never do that. I have too much respect for what we do as policemen but I wanted to give you some time to get used to the idea before I'm actually gone It's taken me a long time to realize where I truly fit is with NCIS, and as much as it surprises me, they want me as an agent."

Laughing at Marty's antics, Lt. Bates continued "Why are you surprised? You're the best undercover detective I've ever worked with."

"Wow…thanks" Marty was flattered and grateful to hear that from his LAPD boss. "You know there are several other really good undercover detectives available. I'm sure they're up to the task".

"Yeah, but they're not as good as you. You have a real gift for undercover work. We'll manage, but I'll miss you. Keep in touch."

~,~,~

Marty left for the apartment. It was in a slightly seedy part of town that fit in with Max's persona perfectly. Once there, he changed into Max's clothes and began the slow process of becoming his alias. He combed his hair back like he always did as Max. He stood in front of the mirror and worked on his face and posture to begin to sink into the alias. He began to adjust his speech patterns to sound like Max. He could feel himself becoming harder, rougher, meaner. Max just didn't give a shit what anyone thought. If he wanted something he took it. If he got angry, Max would hit something or someone. Everyone stayed out of his way. When he felt like Max again, he knew it was time to get started so he spoke out loud for the coms to pick up "Here we go. I'm going out to hit a couple of bars and let everyone know I'm back in town."

Over the next week, Max looked up old contacts all while being the asshole he was known to be. He collected some old debts owed him while effectively terrorizing the men and anyone they were with. He leered at the women who looked at him. Word soon got around that Max was back and just as mean as ever. When several of Max's contacts let him know Riccardo was looking for him, Marty knew it was time to meet the man.

~,~,~

July 22rd

Joe Cantor, the bartender at Riley's looked up in surprise when he heard the request for whiskey. "Max, when did you get back in town?"

After downing the whiskey he rasped "None of your fucking business, Joe. Pour another shot, man. I hear Riccardo's been asking for me. Where I can find him this fine day?"

"He's set up in the old warehouse on Elm Street. I hear he's talking about 'renovating' the building and opening up a nightclub." Joe watched as Max left with a backward wave of his hand after dropping a couple of bills on the counter. Once Max was gone, Joe picked up his cell phone and made a quick call. "Tell Riccardo that Max is on his way over and he doesn't look happy."

After leaving the bar, Marty let OPS know that he was on his way to meet Riccardo.

~,~,~

Walking up to the warehouse where Riccardo was reported to be, Deeks whispered into the mic indicating he was turning it off for a few minutes to be safe when he first met with Riccardo. "As soon as it's clear, I'll turn it back on so you can hear what's being said."

The reassuring voice of Kensi replied "We're watching your back, we're close in case you need us." Before he reached the door, Riccardo come outside and waved. "Max, it's been a long time. How the hell are you?"

"Fine you asshole. Why are you looking for me?"

"A job Max. I have a job for you and I've been trying to find you. I haven't seen or heard from you since the end of our last job together. We had good times back then, didn't we? Where you been man?"

"Doing a job for one of my customers. Didn't end well for me but ended worse for the assholes that set me up. I ended up shot, they ended up dead. I've been laying low recovering from two bullets to the chest."

"Are you healthy? I can't use you if you can't handle yourself."

"Listen you fuck! If I wasn't able to 'handle' myself, I wouldn't be here." So don't mess with me or you just might not live to regret it. Do you have a job for me or not?"

"Yeah, I have a job. Come on inside and I'll tell you all about it."

They proceeded into the warehouse where Max was checked for wires. There were five men lounging around. Riccardo introduced four of them as his bodyguards and the fifth as his second in command, Harvey Gold. All the bodyguards had semi-automatic weapons on them. Harvey looked slightly familiar to Deeks but he couldn't place him. Maybe it was his imagination, but just to be sure, he shifted slightly so that the button cam could get a good look at the guy's face. He knew Eric and Nell would run him through facial rec to find out everything about him. He decided to think of the bodyguards as Things 1 through 4 just to give himself a chuckle.

Harvey had the same feeling about Marty when Riccardo introduced them. He too felt like he had seen him somewhere before, but couldn't place it. _"It was probably nothing"_ he thought. _"It doesn't matter anyway, he won't be around much longer."_

"So Riccardo, what's the job" Max snarled as he rubbed his lapel to turn the mic back on so that OPS would hear the information on the buyers and anything else discussed.

"We have a shipment of weapons arriving in a couple of weeks and I'm here to set up the delivery. We haven't worked with these buyers before and I'm supposed to make sure that they're the right people for us to do business with"

"Why aren't you using your regular buyers?"

"We've had problems with our regular buyers. Someone has been selling them out to the Feds." he growled.

"Who are these yahoos? I'll check them out for you if that's what you want. Usual rates."

"I've been dealing with their front man so far. His name is James Eggleton, a lawyer that works down on Clement Ave. He has his own law office there."

"Fine, I'll be back once I get the info you want. What number can I reach you at?"

Max left the warehouse with Riccardo's contact number and returned to his apartment. He felt like someone was watching him, but couldn't see any tails. Making sure that nothing had been touched in the apartment, he called OPS and asked to speak to everyone including Bates. Once Lt. Bates was conferenced in, Deeks proceeded to tell them everything he had seen of the layout and the entrances and exits to the warehouse.

"Nell, what did you find using facial rec on the men standing behind Riccardo. I think I may have run into one of them, the one on the right, sometime in the past. He seems familiar to me but I can't place the face. Riccardo said his name was Harvey Gold and he's Riccardo's right hand man. Also find out everything you can on the lawyer James Eggleton. He's the front man for the buyers. I have to be able to go back to Riccardo with full information on them as soon as possible."

"Will do, Eric and I will get the information to you right away. Someone will drop it by the apartment."

"Not a good idea Nell. Max doesn't bring people to where he lives. He goes to them or meets them in bars. Why don't you have Callen bring it to me at Riley's tomorrow night. He can bring me money he 'owes' me for a job I did since he's heard I'm back in town. He can pass me the information along with the money and no one will be the wiser."

"Good plan Deeks" Callen interjected. "How do you want me to play it?"

"Act like you know Max is volatile but you're okay with that because you've dealt with him enough that you know how to get along with him, that is as well as anyone gets along with Max. Just play along with whatever I say or do."

"Yeah, right…like I don't know how to handle myself undercover" Callen snorted.

"Oh, I don't know…don't you think you're getting a little old for all of this cloak and dagger crap Callen." They could all hear the amusement in Deeks tone and it relieved some of the tension permeating OPS. It's what he aimed for whenever he got 'cheeky' as Hetty called it.

"Just wait Deeks, you'll pay for that" Callen grumbled.

"Seriously, did you just threaten your favorite liaison officer, really? Hetty, he's picking on me."

"That's enough Mr. Deeks. We get the picture. Get some sleep and you and Mr. Callen can meet tomorrow night at Riley's. Okay people, let's call it a wrap."

~,~,~


	5. Chapter 5: Hell Breaks Loose

It's Thursday…fingers crossed…give me a miracle…did I win the lottery…nope, so still not mine…GRRRR!

As usual, everything in italics is either memories or thoughts.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

While Deeks was talking to OPS, Harvey was talking to his boss and telling him about Max. Harvey was actually a member of one of the Contreras' rival cartels. He had been ordered to infiltrate Riccardo's organization and work his way into the inner circle. It had taken him over a year but he was finally in a position of power. From there he would oversee the end of Riccardo and his people in the US at the same time Riccardo's people in Mexico were being removed as revenge for the gang war that had left so many people dead. Harvey's actual boss, Ramon Salazar, had come up with the plan to move in and take over the Contreras' territory.

Harvey told his boss about Max. Once he was finished he asked "Have you heard anything about this dude?"

"Yea, he's a mean hombre that one. Watch your step with him." replied Ramon. "He's done work for several people I'm familiar with and they all say the same things. He does what he says he will do for the price he agrees on and is always successful. He never reneges on a deal and he's never failed at whatever he's agreed to do. He expects his customers to be the same way so if you cross him, or don't pay him his agreed upon fee, he's a devil and will kill you. He doesn't care how long it takes either. He'll kill you as soon as he sees you."

"Harvey responded "I'll take him out first then so he doesn't have a chance to ruin my plan when the rest of the ambush goes down. What do you think about using our new drug on him? It would make him less able to do any damage later on and less likely to notice anything when I do begin to take the others out."

Ramon thought about it "That sounds like a plan. I think it will work, but you better make sure Max is dead or you'll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. Which will probably be measured in weeks. I heard the last people who crossed him, died horribly as soon as he recovered from what they did to him because they didn't make sure he was dead when they threw him out of their car."

Harvey gulped, "I'll make sure he's dead. I'll put a bullet in his head." Now Harvey just had to figure out how he was going to drug Max.

~,~,~,

July 24th

Callen sauntered into Riley's and looked around the place. Not seeing Max, he took a seat at the bar and asked for bourbon. When the bartender brought it to him, he asked if he had seen Max that evening. Joe the bartender didn't know Callen so said he didn't know any Max. Callen gave him a look that let Joe know he wasn't buying it but wasn't going to call him on it.

He was on his third bourbon when Max walked in. When he saw Callen, his face darkened and he stalked over to the bar, grabbed him by the arm and growled "You owe me money Phil. Where is it?"

"I have it with me. I heard you were back in town and knew you would want to be paid. I've been looking for you. Here it is...with interest" he said, handing over a large roll of bills. As Max looked at the roll of bills, Callen continued "You're not going to count it are you? I'm good for it."

"No I'm not going to count it, you've never shorted me in the past. But if it's not all here, you're going to be hurting soon."

"It's all there. We work good together and I want that to continue."

"Good thing, now get lost. If I need you for anything I'll call you."

With that, Callen just tipped his hand at Max, paid Joe and walked out of the bar. Joe came over with a shot of whiskey for Max and ventured "What was that about?"

"None of your fucking business. He's a guy I know and you don't need to know anything other than the fact he owed me money and he paid me money." Downing the whiskey he held the glass out "Get me another shot." Waiting long enough to drink two more shots of whiskey and to make sure his leaving wouldn't look suspicious, Marty left the bar and began walking back to his apartment. He kept an eye out for tails and Harvey who had been shadowing him for several days, showed up again. Pretending he didn't see him, he went to a liquor store, bought a bottle of whiskey and went back to his place.

He read over the information hidden in the roll of bills. Nell and Eric had found a lot of information on the buyers and the lawyer he could take to Riccardo. The lawyer was small time which matched the buyers' background. They hadn't had as much luck finding out about Harvey. His name was actually Harvey Guilette, not Gold, but it still didn't spark any memories for Deeks and they had found nothing suspicious in his background to date. Eric had written they were continuing to look. Calling OPS, Deeks informed Nell and Eric that Harvey was following him and had been doing so off and on since he had met with Riccardo the first time. He asked them to check all known associates to see if there was any link back to him.

~,~,~

July 25th:

Riccardo was pleased with the Max's information and told him to set up the initial meet. "Already did it" Max replied "It's set for July 28th, contingent on your approval, of course."

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself Max?" Riccardo bristled.

"Nope, don't think so. Figured you'd want to meet with them at least once so you could get a read on them yourself. You've seen the information I gathered. If I was wrong, you can pay me the money I've earned so far and fuck off! No skin off my back. I can always get another job."

"You got a bad attitude Max, always have. But you get the job done. The date's fine. Where and when did you tell them we would meet them?"

"I didn't. I told them you would call them later and give them the location and time. I knew you would want to control that aspect since these guys are new to you. Their number is in the package I gave you for when you want to do the honors."

Riccardo quickly set up the time and place for the meet. It would be near the wharf in Santa Monica where there were wide open spaces with less chance of ambushes or raids from the cops. Nothing but information would be changing hands at the first meet but it never hurt to be careful. He hadn't gotten to where he was by being reckless.

~, ~, ~

July 28th

The first meet went well. A price was negotiated for the weapons that both parties could live with. The date and a place for the actual sale was arranged. It was was planned for August 3rd to give everyone time to get things in place. The exchange would be in a warehouse not far from where Riccardo had his headquarters and set for 7pm. Both the buyers and Riccardo would attend with a total of six people each. Max and Eggleton would be the middleman for their respective groups.

When Deeks got back to Max's apartment, a conference call was set up to make the arrangements for the take-down during the meet. The players and the location of the meet were discussed. Different scenarios were suggested and critiqued until one was decided upon.

The task force received word from Mexico that the shipment was leaving the country on the 2nd. The Mexican authorities had all the information they needed on their end to arrest the cartel members in Mexico as soon as they got word from the U.S. that the meet had happened. The U.S task force would arrest all the players, including Max, as soon as the exchange was made. All members of the task force had their assignments and knew what they had to do.

Bugs were planted in the warehouse so the task force could stay close without being seen in case Deeks needed any of them. Eric was able to get some extra cameras set up to cover the entrances and exits to the warehouse. Every possible escape route was being covered by members of the task force. Everything was in place and ready. It was just a matter of waiting and hoping everything went according to plan.

The team missed Deeks and his constant babble, banter, jokes and deprecating remarks. They might tease him about never shutting up but when he was quiet, they knew something was wrong. It never ceased to amaze them just how easily he could diffuse the tension by getting a rise out of Kensi. He could do it by simply smiling and wiggling his eyebrows when she took offense at a quip he threw out that could be taken in several ways. He could do it with remarks about her wardrobe, or the situation. He could do it by just throwing out the words 'seriously' or 'really' following by some random fact. He could even do it by calling her by one of his pet names for her. She would respond with a threat about punching him or some smart remark and he would just smirk or tell her he knew she loved him, causing her to scowl and everyone else to chime in with additional teasing.

~,~,~

August 3rd

On the day of the exchange, Deeks couldn't help but feel that something was off. He had a niggling feeling in the back of his mind and couldn't shake it. Eric and Nell hadn't found out much more about Harvey which bothered them greatly. They were working frantically to find anything they could to help Deeks.

The rest of the team was out of sorts as well. Something just didn't feel right but for the life of them no one could figure out why. The plan had been reviewed numerous times and everyone had rehearsed different ways things could go wrong and what to do if it did. Everyone was as ready as they could be. They were just going to have to let the meet happen and hope nothing went wrong. No one liked it but there was nothing they could do about it.

~,~,~

Harvey had been trying to figure out how he was going to take Max out of the picture before he took out Riccardo and his bodyguards. As soon as he heard about the final meet, he had scoped out the warehouse trying to figure out a way to neutralize Max as soon as possible. He didn't like the idea of Max functional with a gun when the actual ambush happened.

Riccardo had told Harvey to place the weapons in an old boxcar that was stored in the warehouse as soon as they arrived from Mexico. From there, the exchange would be made with the buyers taking the weapons out in several vans.

Thinking about the warehouse and Max and what he had found out about both, Harvey decided to use the new drug with a little DMSO added to it. It could then be absorbed through the skin. He put some on the box car door handle since Max would be the one opening the car when the time came to make the exchange. Max would be feeling sick once the drug reached his system. Harvey also wanted to make doubly sure that Max wasn't able to mess up his plans, so he decided to use a second combination of drugs on him. He knew Riccardo always sealed a deal with whiskey all around once the money changed hands. He knew Riccardo would ask him to hand out the drinks when the time came. He decided to dose Max's glass at that time with the additional drugs. Max wouldn't know what hit him. With him completely incapacitated, the remaining members would be that much easier to take out.

~,~,~

Riccardo, Harvey, Things 1 through 4 and Max were waiting at the entrance to the warehouse when four SUVs pulled up and stopped. Max stepped forward and talked to James in the lead car.

"Is this everyone?" he asked.

"Yes" James replied.

They then proceeded to enter the warehouse with the four SUVs following. Inside the warehouse, James motioned for everyone in the SUVs to step out of the vehicles.

Max stepped forward. "Let's get this show on the road. Where's the money?"

"Where are the weapons?" James responded.

"In the boxcar to your left. You wanna see them?"

James motioned to one of the buyers to look at the weapons. Max led him to the boxcar and unlocked the door. As he did so, he felt something greasy on his palm and rubbed it off on his jeans thinking nothing of it. The buyer looked inside and informed James "They're all here."

James then opened the briefcase at his feet and showed the money to Riccardo. Riccardo took a quick look at the money and announced "Looks good. We have a deal gentlemen. Let's drink on it." Once everyone had gathered around Riccardo, he said "Harvey, bring out the glasses and the whiskey."

Harvey brought out the glasses, filled them with the whiskey, dosed one of the glasses and passed the drinks out making sure Max got the dosed whiskey.

"To a successful deal and to many more in the future" Riccardo toasted everyone.

"To the future" came multiple replies.

Max was beginning to have some trouble concentrating. He was also feeling somewhat tired and sick but ignored it since it was almost time for the task force to show up. He decided to chalk it up to the stress of the last few weeks. When the drinks were passed out, Max didn't want any but knew that it would look suspicious if he didn't at least drink, so he threw his head back and swallowed the whiskey.

Just then, all hell broke loose.

~,~,~

AN:

Duh..duh..duhn. Had to have at least one cliffhanger!


	6. Chapter 6: Down and Out

Still not mine…still playing with them! As before, I don't have a beta reader so any and all errors are mine alone. Everything in italics is either memories or thoughts.

My minions and I are delighted by the views from so many countries! It inspires me to keep writing. Wow! Hugs and kisses to all of you.

Enjoy

~,~,~

CHAPTER 6: Down and Out

As the words "Federal agents, put down your weapons!" was heard from members of the task force, everyone scattered. Harvey took out his gun and put a bullet through Riccardo's head and then began to swing the gun toward Max. Max roared "What the hell are you doing?" and threw a roundhouse punch connecting with Harvey's jaw before he could get off another shot. Harvey went down like a stone. Before Max could think to run, multiple weapons were aimed at his head.

Callen addressed him, "Get down on your knees with your hands behind your head." At that point however, the drugs running through Deeks' system had him seeing monsters instead of his team members so instead of doing what he was told, he charged Callen, trying to beat him to the ground, completely ignoring the guns pointed at him.

Deeks was keeping Callen fully engaged in protecting himself without hurting Deeks in return until Deeks lost his balance and momentarily dropped to one knee. Callen immediately took advantage of the situation to twist one arm up behind Max's back and growl "Don't move." He then proceeded to handcuff him.

"Fuck you! Get off me, you fucking monster! And get these damn ropes off me before I cut your fucking tentacles off." Deeks screamed. "Get those lights out of my eyes, you're blinding me!"

Callen and Kensi exchanged glances wondering what the hell was going on with Deeks. He wasn't making any sense; he was completely enraged and fighting like his life depended on it. He didn't seem to recognize anyone and kept talking about monsters,ropes and blinding lights.

Callen would have chalked it up to Deeks maintaining his cover but once he noticed Deeks was sweating, he really started becoming concerned about him. He would swear later that Deeks' eyes started tearing up. As he was wondering why his team member would start crying, he realized he also seemed short of breath and was beginning to cough. He and Kensi kept glancing at each other hoping to see some signs of understanding of the situation in each others eyes. Callen couldn't acknowledge that Deeks was one of them until everything was under control. They had no clue was was wrong with him and hoped the team got the remaining players rounded up as soon as possible because he seemed to be deteriorating right in front of them.

It only took 10 minutes for the task force to complete rounding everyone up and getting them removed from the scene but that 10 minutes felt like forever to Kensi. "What's taking them so long" she grumbled to herself. "They think they're at a party or something?" During the entire wait everyone noticed Deeks becoming worse. He was still screaming about monsters but was also showing increased signs of confusion. It seemed like he didn't know where he was besides trembling, sweating and continuing to cough.

Once it was safe to do so, Callen removed Deeks cuffs before realizing what a mistake he was making. As soon as Deeks hands were free he swung on Callen and punched him right in the face. Blood spouted from Callen's nose and he was momentarily disoriented. He vaguely wondered why Deeks didn't throw another punch. Once he was aware of Deeks again he saw him standing in front of him trembling. Deeks looked around in confusion, began to sway and then his eyes rolled up in his head and his knees buckled. Sam was able to catch him before he hit the ground while Kensi screamed through coms for Eric to get an ambulance.

"The ambulance is 5 minutes out" came back over coms.

"Oh my God, he's seizing! Grab his legs Callen" came Kensi's cry for help. She dropped down and made sure to keep his head cradled in her lap while running her fingers gently through his hair. "Callen, he's burning up and he's having a hard time breathing" Kensi looked at her team leader with tears in her eyes.

"What the hell is going on?" came the frustrated voice of Sam.

"I don't know Sam, it almost looks like he's been drugged or something." Callen couldn't figure out what had caused Deek's sudden and total collapse.

Sam started inspecting every inch of Deeks body. "Nothing on the arms...I don't feel any bumps or contusions on his head...Wait, is that a stain on his jeans?" he went to touch it but Callen grabbed his arm. "Don't, we don't know if that's how he was drugged or if it's some kind of toxin or poison. Put gloves on before you touch anything. Same for you Kensi. We don't want anyone else going down."

"Eric, Nell, check the tapes of the meet and see if you can find anything that may give us a clue on what happened here" Callen ordered.

"On it" Nell replied looking through the on-scene tapes. Fast forwarding to the point where Deeks led the buyer to the boxcar, Nell noticed something. "Check the handle to the boxcar door. Deeks was the one who opened it. Right after he opened the door he looked at his hand and rubbed it against his jeans. Maybe that's when he was drugged or poisoned."

"Got it Nell" Callen sprinted over to the box car and noticed that the handle looked greasy. Taking an evidence bag out of his pocket, he turned it inside out, rubbed it over the handle, turned it right side out again and sealed it. "Got something from the handle that can be analyzed, Nell. Good work"

Continuing to look at the tapes, she noticed Deeks drinking the whiskey. "Callen, get the glass Deeks drank the whiskey from. It's the one by itself at the end of the table. He looks like he got worse after drinking it. Since no one else seems to be affected, maybe an additional drug or something was added to his drink."

"I'll get the whiskey bottle too, just in case. Who served the drinks?"

"Harvey, Riccardo's right-hand man. He poured the drinks for everyone and passed them out."

Callen sighed, "Great, Deeks laid him out like a sack of potatoes when he shot Riccardo. Make sure he's taken to the boat shed as soon as he's conscious. He has a lot of explaining to do. Maybe he can tell us what the hell is going on!"

~,~,~

Kensi looked up in relief when the ambulance arrived. Deeks was having more and more trouble breathing and he had become completely unresponsive and totally limp as soon as the seizure ended. She had continued carding her fingers through his hair while remembering his promise to her to not get himself killed. "I don't really know just when I realized I loved you and your goofy smile, but you've become my everything, so you fight!." she whispered fiercely. She didn't know if she was going to kiss him silly when he opened his eyes or rip him a new one for scaring her like this!

"What do have we?" one of the the attendants asked.

"We think he was drugged or poisoned, but we don't know with what. Possibly multiple types of drugs or toxins. He seized a few minutes ago, he's burning up and when he was being handcuffed, he was combative and showing signs of paranoia. Just before he collapsed, he stopped and just stood there looking around in confusion. Then he began trembling, his eyes rolled up into his head and he just dropped, right Callen?" Kensi related the facts as calmly as she could. "He seized right after he collapsed."

"Right, Kens. Here's some stuff we think he got on his hand. It's that stain on his jeans where he rubbed his hand, so be careful, because if this is part of it, he absorbed it through his skin. We think his drink may have been drugged or poisoned as well but we're not sure. Hell, we're not sure of anything except he was fine just before everything went to hell. And he hasn't been able to tell us anything."

They related the facts to the paramedics, Andy and Josh, as quickly as possible so they could help Marty. The paramedic began talking between themselves as they efficiently began examining him and recording vitals.

"His breathing is labored. Blood pressure is 90 over 60. Pulse is thready. "I can hear bilateral rales and rhonchi in both lungs. Has he been coughing at all?" Andy asked.

"Yes, it started about 10 minutes ago, just before he collapsed" Callen replied.

"Does he have a history of drug use?" he continued.

"No! He's no drug addict, he's a federal agent and you will treat him with respect!" Kensi all but screamed at the paramedic.

"Whoa lady, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just trying to get a complete history here to help him" Andy rushed to reassure her while thinking _'This lady is seriously scary!_

"Kens calm down, they're trying to help Deeks." Sam came up behind Kensi.

"I know Sam, it's just...I'm so scared... it's hard to see him like this. Why do these things always seem to happen to him?" she whispered as Sam hugged her to him.

"Blood pressure is still dropping, now 80 over 40. Heart rate is slowing. We're going to have to wrap and run here." Marty was quickly placed on a gurney with an oxygen mask placed over his face and an IV containing saline solution with Ringers in one arm. Andy jumped into the back and Josh climbed into the front of the ambulance. Before the doors could be closed, Kensi jumped in the back and with a fierce look at Andy stated "I'm coming with him. Where are you taking him?"

"Pacific Beach Medical Center" Andy replied.

"We're right behind you. We'll meet you there" Sam closed the ambulance door and gave it two sharp raps to let the driver know he could leave.

~,~,~

Kensi would never be able to remember exactly how long it took to make it to the hospital. She wasn't aware of anything around her except for Marty. She reached out and took his hand in hers. He was pale and absolutely still which was definitely not normal for him. He was always moving, _"God, even when he was shot, he was constantly moving, running his hands through his hair, playing with the IV line, or picking at the bandages"_ she thought so to see him like this terrified her. She was afraid if she let go, he would be gone. _"Dammit Marty, you promised me. Don't you dare die on me. I need you with me. Come on, fight Marty, I know you're strong. I'm right here with you. Wake up and call me Kiki or something else cheesy, please" _she begged. Kensi wasn't a particularly religious person, but she found herself praying with all her might that he would be okay.

As the ambulance turned into the emergency bay of the hospital, she began to sigh in relief. At that moment, Andy yelled at Josh, "He's stopped breathing! I'm starting CPR. Get someone out here to help me now!"

~,~,~

AN: I didn't mean to leave you with another cliff-hanger but this seemed like the best place to end this chapter.


	7. Chapter 7: Diagnosis

If Shane Brennan was a nice man he would give me the team for my very own…mean mean man…they're still not mine.

I'm overwhelmed by the response to this story, and it's my first one! Thanks so much to everyone.

Enjoy

~,~,~

CHAPTER 7: Diagnosis

All Kensi could do was get out of the way and watch as doctors and nurses rushed the ambulance. Andy was on top of the gurney performing CPU while Josh was running along side using the ambu bag as they rushed Marty into the emergency room. Some people were shouting orders while others were moving Marty onto a bed and hooking him up to monitors and all kinds of other equipment that she didn't recognize.

A nurse noticed her standing in the room and guided her gently back out into the hall "You can't be in here, you'll just be in the way while we try to help the patient."

"He's not 'the patient', he's Marty, I…I mean his name… his name is Marty" Kensi kept looking over to where Marty lay.

"We'll take good care of Marty for you. Why don't you sit down here?" The nurse led her to the emergency waiting room and then went back to help attend to Marty.

Kensi didn't sit down. She just stood there staring toward the room Marty was in. She didn't know when Sam and Callen got there. The first thing she was aware of was when Sam hugged her. She had her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to keep from flying apart. Sam tried to get her to sit down but she just kept standing there. Someone handed her Marty's badge and she clutched it to her chest remembering the first time she stood in a hospital waiting for word on her partner's condition. She was holding his badge then too.

When Hetty, Nell and Eric arrived, Sam and Callen just gave them a look that told them they hadn't heard anything yet. Hetty murmured something about being right back and disappeared.

Three hours later, they were still waiting. Hetty hadn't yet reappeared and Kensi was still standing in the same spot looking toward Marty's room. The team had tried everything to get her to sit down but nothing seemed to work. Nell decided to take matters into her own hands. "Does anyone want something to eat or drink? I think we're going to be here a while."

Callen gave her a grateful look "Bring us all some coffee and sandwiches. Don't forget some candy bars or donuts for Kensi"

"Will do. Eric, come help me" she replied as the wonder twins left the waiting area to get the food. They returned about 15 minutes later with food and drinks for everyone. Nell showed Kensi the candy bar and finally got a small smile out of her as she accepted it. She continued to stand there, but at least she was eating something even if it was junk food.

~,~,~

While the team was waiting for word, Hetty was performing her usual magic. She called on an old friend to come and oversee Mary's care. She didn't want anything to happen to the young man who had such a wonderful outlook on life. She knew his background and, when she thought about it, was amazed at the strength it took him to become the man he was after the childhood he had experienced. She didn't think the team would ever recover if they lost him, especially after what he had gone through with Siderov. It had taken some time for him to get back to the man he was before the torture and he would always carry some scars on his soul from his experience, but his zest for life was back. She enjoyed his antics, even though she would never admit it, especially when he did something that caused her to call him a 'cheeky bugger'. She chuckled quietly as she remembered a couple of times; first when he 'accidentally' shot the target that looked like her during training and then the last time when she put out her hand for the keys to his motorcycle and he had slapped her hand saying 'give me some sugar'.

~,~,~

About the time Kensi was seriously contemplating storming Marty's room for information, Hetty appeared with a doctor in tow. Everyone gathered around to hear what the doctor had to say while Hetty informed the team about what she had been up to. "I've checked Marty in as Richard Martins. A news report has been sent out that Max Gentry died in the emergency room from acute respiratory failure due to a drug overdose. I promised Marty that Max would die at the end of this undercover operation and I'm keeping my word.

"This is an old friend of mine, Dr. Alexander Wilson. He's overseeing Marty's care. Alex, please tell my team what you know so far."

"As Hetty mentioned, I'm Marty's attending. I'll be overseeing his care as long as he's here. What we know so far is this. He was dosed with a combination of drugs. We're pretty confident he wasn't poisoned in any way. We don't know all of drugs involved yet, but one of them was Rophenol. Taken with alcohol, Rophenol causes muscle relaxation, decreased blood pressure, sleepiness and possibly amnesia. It takes affect within 15 to 20 minutes. Dizziness and tremors can also occur. If that was the only drug in his system, his body wouldn't have reacted as badly as it did. However, we also found traces of LSD along with another unknown drug. The LSD may have caused the confusion as well as the combativeness and paranoia that was mentioned. He was probably already tripping on the LSD before he collapsed which is why he didn't recognize any of you and was talking nonsense. LSD is quickly metabolized by the body so it should be out of his system fairly soon. We'll have to watch for flashbacks even after he's over the initial effects but it appears to have been a low dose so he might not experience them at all.

"The effects of the Rophenol should subside within 12 to 15 hours. We should see some improvement by then. He may never remember exactly what happened after he ingested the Rophenol, so don't be surprised if that occurs.

"We're not sure what caused the seizure but we're going to be watching him closely in case it happens again. It could have been some ingredient in the combination of drugs, or it may have been caused by his extremely low blood pressure.

"Marty was in deep shock when he arrived here. He had stopped breathing but we were able to reverse that fairly quickly. His blood pressure dropped to 50 over 30 which is extremely dangerous and may have been the cause of the cessation of breathing he experienced. We've been able to get it up some but it is still lower than I would like. We're watching that as well.

"He's sedated and intubated right now to help him breath and to help his lungs recover.

"The unknown drug is a major concern. Thank God you were able to get that sample off the door handle. The residue on his jeans was too contaminated to analyze. From what we can tell so far from the analysis of the sample you provided, it's actually a combination of drugs and the toxin Hydrogen sulphide. The effects include decreased blood pressure, teary eyes, nausea, shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough. We'll have to wait and see if any other effects are going to manifest. The combination of it and the Rophenol is extremely dangerous. Let's hope no other effects show up.

Callen interjected "I noticed his eyes tearing up and the coughing. Kensi noticed the shortness of breath as well. What does all of this mean?"

"It means that your friend is in critical condition at the moment. Hydrogen sulphide is extremely dangerous and the combination of it along with the drugs delivered a, well a 'double whammy' if you will, relating to his blood pressure. As I said, we're treating that right now and it appears to be working. The hydrogen sulphide also caused lung complications. We're not sure of the exact nature of the entire drug cocktail yet, so we're providing supportive care to Marty. The ventilator is helping him breath and taking some of the strain off of his lungs. We'll keep an eye on that because he may develop pneumonia due to the lung damage we've seen. He's being moved to ICU as we speak. Once we get him settled, you can see him for five minutes only. If he remains stable through the night, he'll make a full recovery.

"I've arranged with ICU so one of you can stay with Marty at all times. Hetty convinced me that it will be extremely helpful to have someone he knows there when he regains consciousness. I'm not sure how long its going to be before he wakes, so be prepared and don't worry if it takes a while. The rest of you go home and get some sleep. Marty is going to be here for a while." With that, Dr. Wilson gave Hetty a pat on the back and left to return to his patient.

~,~,~

One by one each member of the team went in to see Marty. They said a few words, gave him a pat somewhere on his body and then slowly left his room looking shattered.

Kensi waited until everyone had their turn before she entered ICU. Seeing him there just about broke her heart, he looked like a child in the bed. He had a tube in his mouth from the respirator, IV's in both arms, and wires running from the heart monitor to his chest. Frankly he looked like death warmed over and if she hadn't felt the warmth of the hand she was cradling in hers, she would have sworn that he was dead. She settled in for the night, noting with gratitude that someone had provided a comfortable chair for her to use. Before too long the emotions of the day caught up with her and she drifted off to sleep still holding Marty's hand.

The nurses coming in to check on him during the night woke Kensi from from one dream after another. The events of the day kept coming back to her in her dreams, nightmares really. She watched him collapse over and over again, but in her dreams she couldn't save him no matter how hard she tried. Several times, she woke up to wet cheeks. "Don't do this to me Marty. Fight and come back to me. I need you." were her thoughts, every time she woke up.

~,~,~

August 4th:

Hetty was there when Kensi woke for the last time the next morning. She was bleary eyed and half asleep when she spied the coffee in Hetty's hands. "Is that for me?"

"Yes, Miss Bly. I thought you could use it. Now go home, take a shower and eat something. I'll keep an eye on Marty. You won't be able to help him once he wakes up if you don't take care of yourself now. I don't want to see you again until you've done what I asked, is that clear? Someone will always be with him, I promise."

Kensi didn't want to leave Marty but she knew Hetty was right. So after a last squeeze of his hand, a kiss to his scruff and a whispered "I'll be back later, behave because Hetty's here and I'm sure you don't want her to give you your sponge bath", she softly thanked her and left the hospital. Racing home (well Marty's apartment. She still marveled every time she thought of his place as home) she took Monty out for a well-needed break, put down some kibble and a bowl of fresh water for him and jumped into the shower. She had never washed her hair and body faster, but she was anxious to get back to Marty as soon as possible. She did a fast pick up around the apartment, took Monty for another short walk and then next door to the neighbor asking her to care for him while Marty was in the hospital. Realizing Hetty would know if she didn't eat anything she got some fish tacos from Marty's favorite food truck along with some KitKats to take with her. She was on her way back to the hospital within a few hours.

~,~,~

Sam and Callen stopped by to wish Deeks well and told him they would watch out for their 'little sister' until he was able to do so. They knew he was unconscious but felt he would hear them on some level. "Come on man, keep fighting, I know you're tough", Sam encouraged the unconscious man.

Hetty asked them how the case was going.

"We're on our way to the boat shed now. Harvey has been cooling his heels there since regaining consciousness. He wasn't out for long, but we wanted him to sit and stew for a while. Besides, I was afraid I might lose control if I talked to him last night after seeing what he did to Marty." Callen was still seething about the whole situation.

"I'm always giving him grief about talking all the time, but I sure would like to be hearing some of that now. He's too quiet." Sam added looking over at the bed.

"Is the great Sam Hanna going soft in his old age?" Callen just had to get a dig in at Sam. For all of his gruffness and hard exterior, he was really a big teddy bear with a soft gooey center. Sometimes Callen thought Sam fulfilled the 'father' role for the entire team. He knew Sam and Deeks had gotten closer after what they had endured together with Siderov. Sam had realized just how wrong he had been about Deeks. He might come across as a laid-back surfer who never took anything seriously and was always goofing off, but that was just a mask he put on to protect himself from the world. Sam had finally acknowledged just how competent and brave, and loyal a man he was.

"Don't you be messing with me now G. Don't forget, I'm the one who drove…and you look like you could use a little exercise!"

"Enough you two," scolded Hetty "go find out why he did this to Mr. Deeks. And do keep me informed of anything you discover."

"Will do Hetty" replied both men as they left the ICU room.

Hetty moved over to Marty's bed side. "Mr. Deeks you have to come back to us. The team won't survive without you. I'm not sure you realize just how important you are to everyone here. Your ability to keep smiling in the face of adversity and your sometimes outrageous comments help lighten the atmosphere in OPS. I don't think the team realized what was missing until you arrived. You completed them. You were the piece we needed to complete the picture." She gave him a small kiss on the forehead and patted his shoulder "You were exactly what I was looking for when I had you sign the papers to become our liaison officer."

Even though there was no outward indication, Marty was hearing snippets of the conversations around him, although he couldn't tell who was talking or decipher much of what they were saying. "Where am I. I don't know this place. I should sit down and look around, I think I'm lost. Ooh, look at all the pretty colors! Wait, really? I'm inside a rainbow? Awesome." he was still trying to figure out how he got inside the rainbow when he drifted off again.

~,~,~

At the boat shed, Callen and Sam asked the agent watching Harvey "How's he been?"

"Quiet, but jumpy." Rick reported. "I made sure he had water and a blanket. I even asked him if he was hungry. I didn't want to give him any excuse to claim 'brutality' though I would love to get at least one shot in on him." Marty didn't realize how many people at OPS liked him and they were all up in arms over what had happened. "How's Deeks?"

"He's holding his own, but he's got a long way to go. Thanks Rick. We'll take it from here. Go home and get some rest." Callen continued, "We just came from the hospital."

Walking into the interrogation room, Callen sat down opposite Harvey while Sam stood off to the side behind him, a large silent presence that had Harvey twitching. Staring at him, Callen snapped "Who are you working for because it sure wasn't the Contreras cartel."

"I'm not saying a thing until I see my lawyer" Harvey was trying to play it cool, but the sweat trickling down his brow gave him away.

"Sam, he doesn't get it. He thinks we're cops"

"Boy he's dumber than he looks" came back Sam's rejoinder.

"If you're not cops, what are you?" Now Harvey was really confused.

"You've been playing in the big leagues Harvey. Ever heard of the Patriot Act? We've determined you're a terrorist so that means we can do anything we want with you since we're federal agents. I hear Gitmo is especially lovely this time of year." Callen smirked.

Sam added with a small smile "You should fit right in with all of the other terrorists there. You'll be in solitary except when you're being questioned. Might not see the sun except for an hour a day for a very long time"

Harvey started stuttering "Wait. I..I'm not a terr…terrorist. I'm not!

"Then tell us who you work for Harvey!" Callen slapped his hand on the table making Harvey jump. He really wanted to slap Harvey's face but took some satisfaction in knowing Harvey was getting more and more worried about what, if anything, they were going to do with him.

"I work for the Medina cartel, okay! I was ordered to infiltrate Riccardo's operation and take them out! I'm not a terrorist! You can't treat me as one. I'm an American citizen. Look if they find out I'm talking to you, they'll kill me. If I tell you anything, you have to protect me. I want a deal."

Sam looked at him with disgust. "The only deal you'll be getting is a nice safe jail cell somewhere they can't get to you. We'll even change your name for you, but you're going to jail. Or…we could let you walk and put the word out that you've been cooperating. How long do you think you'll last on the streets after that? A day? Maybe two?"

Harvey looked at them in absolute defeat and began telling them everything he knew about the Medina cartel and Riccardo's group. It turned out he knew quite a bit and it took a while.

Once he was done, Callen continued the interrogation "Now tell us about the drug you gave Max Gentry."

"Max is just a low-life thug, why do you care about him?" Harvey whined.

"We don't. We want to know about the drug. We know it's a combination of drugs that's very dangerous. That's what we're concerned with. We don't want any of it to hit the streets." Callen continued "It might make the judge look more kindly on you if you help us."

Harvey sighed, "You're right. It's a combination of drugs that my boss developed. I don't know what the combination is, I just know it's potent. I put some on the door handle mixed with DMSO so it would be absorbed through Max's skin when he opened the door to the boxcar"

"And that's all that you gave Gentry?" Sam asked, knowing there was more he had given Marty.

"Well no, I also dosed his whiskey" came the reply.

"Why, and with what? Sam continued.

"I 'roofied' him and dropped some acid in the whiskey. I wanted to make sure he would be out of it before I took out Riccardo and his guards. I didn't expect the raid. I was waiting until the buyers left, so I didn't have to worry about them. By then, Max would have been so far gone with all the drugs in his system he wouldn't have been a problem for me. I could have taken care of him after I took care of Riccardo. No one would have been the wiser and the next time the buyers wanted weapons, I could handle it since they would already know me." Harvey was pretty proud of himself and the plan he had thought would work. "If the damn cops hadn't shown up it would have gone off without a hitch."

"Do you have any of the drug left?" Callen wanted to know.

"Yes" was the simple reply. After getting the location, Callen and Sam left the room and immediately called Hetty.

"Hetty, we're in luck. That dirtbag still had some of the drug he gave Deeks. We're getting it how and will be at the hospital as soon as possible" Callen informed her. "How's he doing?"

"He's holding his own, but I'm sure the doctor's will be glad to have a sample to analyze to make sure there's nothing else they need to worry about. They're worried about what we already know." Hetty was hoping that nothing else showed up in the analysis. Alex had confided to her just how bad it could get for Marty if more side effects showed up and she was hoping and praying that didn't happen. "Bring the sample here as soon as possible. I'll inform the doctor it's on its way."

~,~,~


	8. Chapter 8: What Else Can Go Wrong?

Why, Why, why can't I have them for my birthday or Christmas? Because NCIS Los Angeles won't let me!

We finally know what's wrong with Deeks…or do we? Now he just has to wake up! Anything in bold is an actual quote from the show.

Enjoy

~,~,~

CHAPTER 8: What Else Can Go Wrong?

Kensi's gaze immediately went to Marty's unresponsive form as she walked back into the ICU room. "How's he been?" she asked Hetty.

"Quiet, but stable according to the nurses" she replied. "Sam and Callen stopped by after you left to say hi to him. They just called from the boat shed. They finished interrogating Harvey and are on their way to get the drug he dosed Mr. Deeks with. They'll be here shortly with it for the doctors to analyze. Don't worry, he's strong, he'll make it" she tried to reassure Kensi. She could tell just how much the whole situation was affecting her youngest agent, but she had to admit, she did look better than earlier in the day. "Did you get any sleep at all and something to eat?"

"Yes, Hetty. I took a nap and had some fish tacos. I brought KitKats for later" showing Hetty her stash.

"I might have known you would have chocolate, Miss Bly. I'm glad you also ate something somewhat nutritious. You do need to keep your strength up because it's going to be a while before our Mr Deeks is back with us" she commented while gazing softly into his face.

"Hetty, is there something you're not telling me? Kensi was getting worried by the way Hetty was acting.

"No my dear, there isn't. I'm just stating what the doctor said."

~,~.~

Kensi sat holding Marty's hand and reminisced. _She remembered the night weeks after the torture when he was still ignoring her phone calls. He had even ignored the cronut she left on his doorstep and he loved them! She decided to show up at his place with Drunkin Pigs from Yummy Yummy Heart Attack. At first, she didn't think he would answer the door, but he did and actually let her into his apartment. What she could see was messier than she had ever seen it. Marty was usually a little OCD about cleanliness and neatness. She felt like she had been punched to realize how much he had been struggling, alone, to try to come to terms with what happened to him. She offered the food and a small smile appeared on his face. When he grabbed the takeout bag looking for a napkin and found the cronut, the look on his face was precious to her and the words he spoke **"You got me a cronut?"** just about melted her heart. After she tried to throw it away and he wanted to keep it and said **"It's like France and America made slow sweet love and had a pastry baby."** then smiled, she knew they could get through anything…if they were together. They had begun to watch a horror movie, one she wanted to watch actually, when he fell asleep. She knew he needed it and was glad to see him just give into it. He was so close to her with his head tilted toward her as he fell asleep. Her heart was in her throat when he sleepily murmured **"Those monkeys are scary"**. He looked so young and innocent. She almost lost it when he murmured **"It's a love story"** to her question of **"What happens next?"** She had slid down on the couch and gotten as close to him as possible and slowly fell asleep listening to him breathe. It was a sound she had thought she might never hear again and when she woke once in the night and found he had snuggled into her side and was twitching his nose, she placed a feather light kiss on his lips and went back to sleep. _

She held his hand, ran her fingers through his hair. Talked to him about everyday things, really pointless stuff so that if he could hear her, he would know she was with him. It helped fill the silence and quiet her mind from thinking terrible things. God she felt so helpless…he was fading away in front of her and there was nothing she could do about it…she was supposed to be his wonder woman and she felt totally useless.

She rested her hand over his heart so she could feel the strong beat. Even though she could see the heart monitor, actually feeling the strong beat against her hand seemed to help more than just watching the monitor.

~,~,~

August 5th

Kensi woke on the second full day of Marty's hospitalization when the nurse came in and began adding another bag to his IV. "What's going on?" she rubbed her eyes and looked at Marty. She could tell immediately that something had changed. His cheeks looked like they were stained with red dye, his hair was completely limp and somewhat damp and he was restless.

"He's developed a fever". We're pushing a broad-spectrum antibiotic while we determine why. Try not to worry, we're keeping a close watch on Marty" the nurse whispered as she completed her task. "The doctor is looking at his most current labs right now and will be in a little later to give you the latest information." She finished up with the IV and then smoothed out his bed and pillows before leaving the room.

Kensi snorted to herself _"Don't worry…as if that was even possible! What else is going to go wrong? Can't he just catch a break here?"_ She reached over and took Marty's hand and slowly rubbed her thumb over his palm. She could tell he was burning up just by the heat coming off of it. She leaned over him and gazed into his face. He had a frown between his eyebrows and she reached up and began smoothing her fingers lightly from his nose up over his forehead trying to soothe him. Even unconscious, he tilted his head toward her fingers and he seemed to settle down a little as if he could feel her presence. She continued soothing him and placed a small kiss on the side of his lips. Noticing they were becoming dry and chapped, she pulled her chapstick out of her pocket, smeared a little on her finger and slowly smoothed it over them.

Marty felt someone touching him and he began to panic _"Get away from me, don't hurt me anymore Dad. I'll be good, I promise." _Then he realized that the person touching him was doing so very gently and even in his unconscious state knew it had to be Kensi. _"Kens, you're here? Where am I? I thought I saw my Dad, he was coming at me with a knife…a huge knife…and it was on fire. Is that why I'm so hot? What's wrong with me, did he burn me?"_ Marty tried as hard as he could to remember, or move and open his eyes; however the effort exhausted him and without even realizing it he retreated back into the comforting darkness.

"Sleep Marty, I'm right here watching over you. You're safe. Monty misses you, but he's with your neighbor so you don't have to worry about him. Hetty's making sure I'm eating healthy food, not just sugar so I'm fine too, I mean good...I'm good. We're just waiting for you to rejoin us."

~,~,~

Hetty was meeting with the doctor. "Alex, what's the prognosis on our patient?"

Alex was worried, "Hetty, I'm sorry, but Marty has developed pneumonia, which I was hoping he would be spared. We were planning on taking him off the ventilator today and slowly reducing the sedation, but now, I want to keep him on it for a while longer to help his lungs. He's currently running a high fever but we've started him on antibiotics to get the fever down. If it doesn't come down as fast as I would like, we'll also implement cooling measures. The antibiotics should knock out the pneumonia before it gets any worse." I believe it's been caused by the damage to his lungs from the hydrogen sulphide he was dosed with. Based on the analysis of the drug, it's a small dose, so I'm cautiously optimistic that we will be able to help Marty through this by continuing the support we're currently giving him. It does set his recovery back by at least a couple of days though."

"When will he be conscious?

"Not until I stopped the sedation drugs. I'm keeping him sedated until we remove the breathing tube and have him on a nasal cannula. I don't want him panicking by waking up and thinking he is suffocating which is a common occurrence in patients when waking up with breathing tubes down their throats" Alex replied.

"Does Kensi know yet?" Hetty was worried about her state of mind.

"No I told the nurse to keep the pneumonia quiet and if Kensi asked to just tell her he was running a fever. I thought it would be best if she hears it from both of us."

~,~,~

Kensi looked up when both Hetty and the doctor appeared in the room "What's going on, he's burning up?"

"Calm down Miss Bly, we knew something like this might happen. Alex, please give us the details." giving him a sideways glance.

"I was hoping this wouldn't happen, but Marty has developed pneumonia in both lungs. His fever is quite high, but not dangerously so yet. As I told Hetty earlier, the pneumonia is a side effect of the hydrogen sulfide in the drug cocktail he was given. We've already started him on antibiotics and if we can't get his fever back down soon, we'll start cooling measures. I do have some good news, we've analyzed the drug cocktail and found that we've already identified all the ingredients it contained, so there are no more surprises there. We have the ratios of each ingredient as well, so we know that the amount of hydrogen sulfide in the dose Marty received was small. This is a good thing, Kensi" he assured her.

"Okay, okay…um… is he going to wake up soon?"

"He's still a very sick man. The pneumonia isn't helping him any. His body has already been through a lot and this is just one more assault on it. I'm going to keep him sedated until we are able to remove the breathing tube. It will prevent him from panicking by feeling like he is suffocating and it will also keep him from fighting the vent. I don't want him putting any more stress on his body than he already has."

Kensi thought over the doctor's last remarks. _"Is this nightmare ever going to end?" _she thought. She knew Marty was a fighter and wouldn't like waking up with the tube down his throat. And the last thing she wanted for him was to suffer amy more than he already had or to make matters worse by fighting the vent, so she concluded it was a good thing he was still sedated. _"But I want to see his beautiful blue eyes. I want to know it's Marty looking back at me, not Max!."_ She asked the doctor "When do you think you'll be able to remove the tube?.

"If we can get the pneumonia under control quickly, then I'm hoping to remove the tube tomorrow and let him try to breathe on his own. I will probably keep him sedated for at least two more days to help ensure that all of the drugs have been flushed from his system. After that, it will depend on Marty as to when he wakes up. Just remember, he's been through a lot and his body has to recover from all the trauma. I know it doesn't look like it, but his body has been through the ringer."

"_Doesn't look like his body's been through the ringer?"_ Kensi snorted to herself. _"He doesn't know the real Marty Deeks! He's already lost his tan. His hair is limp not 'fluffy' and curling like it should be and he doesn't even smell like himself."_

Alex gave both women a smile and left the room reminding them that the nurses were keeping a close watch on Marty. "Contact the nurses if you notice anything about Marty's condition that worries you. We would rather you err on the side of caution than ignore any feelings you may have regarding him." As he left the room, Kensi looked toward Hetty with questions in her eyes. Hetty tried to reassure her "Alex is an excellent doctor. Everything possible is being done for Mr. Deeks, Miss Bly."

~,~,~

Hetty saw Nell coming down the hall so turned back to Kensi "Come Miss Bly, let's get you something to eat."

"I can't leave Marty alone, Hetty" she couldn't bear the thought that Marty might wake up alone and not understand what was happening to him.

"Nell is here. She's taking a shift so he won't be alone; he'll have someone with him at all times. I promise. And he's not going to wake up while you're gone. Now come…I can make it an order if I have to" she gently scolded Kensi while taking her by the hand and leading her to the door.

"Don't worry Kens. I'll stay here with Marty. You take a break. I know you'll want to be with him tonight." Nell sat down in the chair beside his bed and opened the book she had in her hands. "I thought I would read to him for a while."

Giving one last glance to Marty, she followed Hetty to the cafeteria where she managed to choke down a small salad and a sandwich with a glass of water. As she was getting ready to head back to Marty's room, Callen showed up with a piece of chocolate cake and waved it in front of her nose. "Want some?"

Kensi's eyes lit up as she grabbed the cake. "Callen, you're a godsend. Thanks so much" she mumbled through the bite of cake she shoved into her mouth.

"I can see that you've missed your sugar allotment for the day there Kens! Here's your favorite coffee to go with it" laughed Callen. He was relieved to see some color in her cheeks. None of the team wanted her to end up in the hospital alongside Deeks. They had agreed to take turns making sure she was eating. "Sam is with Nell, so take your time and enjoy that cake. No need to inhale it! Deeks is in good hands until you get back there."

She just kept shoveling the cake in her mouth while letting out small moans of pleasure and slurping her coffee. Once she finished, she threw another quick "thank you" at Callen and rushed out of the room to get back to Marty. Callen and Hetty watched her leave. When he was sure she was out of earshot, he asked Hetty "How is Deeks was really doing, Hetty?"

She began to fill him in on the latest developments. "So he's still not out of the woods?

"No Mr. Callen, the pneumonia is a very serious matter." Alex downplayed it somewhat for Miss Bly. We don't want her collapsing on us. It wouldn't do Mr. Deeks any good. And we don't know how much if anything he is aware of in his current condition. She needs to remain positive for him."

"Do you want us to relieve Kens tonight?"

"No Mr. Callen, I think she needs to be there for her partner. Just keep an eye on her and make sure she eats and takes care of herself. I have to get back to the office."

~,~,~

August 6th

Day 3 brought some improvement to Marty's condition. His fever hadn't risen any and in fact was slowly returning to normal. He still had the flush of fever across his cheeks, but Kensi could tell he wasn't as hot as previously. After so long in the hospital, he really didn't smell like himself anymore. She missed the smell of salt water that combined with his scent and often drove her to distraction…not that she would ever tell him that. He always smelled so good to her. He had his own unique scent; a combination of his shampoo, and soap along with sea water and sand. It was actually quite a turn-on to her. His smell could cause her heart rate to speed up and her hands to sweat just thinking about it. Right now, he didn't smell like himself but instead like antiseptic, the drugs he was receiving and plastic. She couldn't wait to get him home and back to the beach where she knew he would improve faster than in a hospital bed.

She gave him butterfly kisses on the side of his mouth to get around the vent and on his closed eyelids. She cupped his face between her hands and gently ran her fingers through his scruff. Actually, he was beginning to look more like a lumberjack with his beard growing out, but she couldn't bear the thought of letting the nurses shave him. For such a laid back man, he was very particular about his beard. His hair did its own thing. It had surprised her to find out he just washed it and left it to dry on its own. He didn't own any special grooming products which was another surprise. She remembered when she had found out how he took care of it.

_It was the first night they slept together, right before she had been reassigned. It had been awkward and magical both. After returning from the restaurant, they had stood in his living room looking at each other. She didn't know how to proceed and was just standing there like a nervous teenager when he had moved into her personal space and just looked at her. He looked like he had found everything he had ever wanted. She had been amazed at the look of complete love and devotion he was giving her. As he slowly moved closer, she could tell he was giving her time at each step to say stop. She knew without a doubt that if she had said the word, he would have immediately stopped and given her the time and space she needed. She realized she didn't need any more time and moved to meet him. His lips slowly covered her own and she was sure her toes curled. The kiss was amazing. It was better than chocolate cake and all the candy in the world put together. He gave the kiss his entire attention and she was swept away on a sea of love and passion._

_They ended up sometime later in his bedroom where he slowly undressed her and then stood back. "What are you doing" she remembered asking. _

"_I'm worshipping you. You are the most beautiful, amazing woman I have ever known." he had replied._

_She helped him off with his clothes and they proceeded to make the most beautiful, gentle, amazing love she had ever experienced. Afterward they cuddled together. He had her in a hug with his arms wrapped around her with her head tucked under his chin. They fell asleep wrapped up in each other. When she woke the next morning, he was stepping out of the shower and shaking his hair dry. When she looked at him in question, he had told her that's how he styled it. What she wouldn't have given to be able to tell Sam and Callen he wasn't obsessed with his hair!_

Kensi spent the morning watching him. He didn't look like he was getting better, but he definitely did not appear to be getting any worse. Mid-morning Dr. Wilson came and informed her the pneumonia was being brought under control by the antibiotics. Marty was improving so he was going to remove the breathing tube to see how he did with just a nasal cannula. Waiting with bated breath, she backed into the corner to be out of the way while still able to see his face. The doctor and nurse began the preparations necessary and then removed the tube, replacing it with the cannula. They then waited to see how he tolerated it. After what seemed like forever and a day to Kensi, the doctor declared that his oxygen levels and breathing were remaining steady. She returned to his bedside and again interlaced her fingers with his.

"When are you going to reduce the sedation?"

"I'll decide later today whether or not to wait until tomorrow to start reducing the sedation" he replied. "But so far, things are looking up for him."

With a huge sigh of relief, she thanked him. "Hear that Marty, you're getting better. You just need to keep it up. I'm here with you waiting to see those gorgeous blue eyes." She pulled out her phone and let everyone know that things were improving.

Marty was again hearing snippets of conversations around his bed while experiencing a flashback. _"Blue eyes, blue eyes, don't cry eyes. Wait, where are the brown mismatched eyes I love so much…eyes, eyes, spy eyes everywhere but not the ones I want to see"_ Marty's brain exploded into blue, brown and then millions of colors as he sank back into unconsciousness.

Kensi spent the rest of the day at Marty's side, alternating between intertwining her fingers with his and gently combing her hands through his hair. There were more soft kisses to his cheeks, forehead and lips. She only left his side if someone was there to watch over him and then not for very long. She left the hospital once when Hetty threatened her with banishment from the room if she didn't go home, shower, eat something and sleep. At that threat, she raced home, did what she had to and took a quick power nap before returning to the hospital.

Later that evening, Dr. Wilson came by with the news he was stopping the sedation and moving Marty to a regular room. He told Kensi "Don't get your hopes up that he'll be awake in a couple of hours. It may take a couple of days. He's been through a lot and it will take some time before his body is ready to let him wake up."

"But he will wake up right? He's getting better now not worse?" Kensi anxiously looked to the doctor for confirmation.

"Yes, he's turned the corner. I'm confident he's going to recover completely."

"Thank you so much Dr. Wilson" she squealed, then lunged for him and wrapped him up in a hug that made him realize just what a lucky guy Marty really was.

The next thing Kensi did was call Hetty with the news. She could barely contain herself while she was on the phone and was dancing around the room. She was so happy she missed the slight twitch to Marty's nose. Marty, through still unconscious, was having a good dream this time. He was dreaming of the beach and Kensi in a very tiny red bikini. _"Kensi, you're so beautiful. How did I ever get so lucky to find you and then to have you love me. You're my sunshine and gunpowder; my wonder woman Kensalina. I'll never leave you Princess."_ he slipped back into the dark with thoughts of her easing his way.

~,~,~

AN: Are things beginning to look up for Marty?


	9. Chapter 9: Marty Wakes Up

Sadly…still not mine…bugger! And I still don't have a beta reader so any and all errors are mine alone. On with the story.

Enjoy.

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CHAPTER 9: August 7th

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Everyone took turns on Day 4 encouraging Marty to wake up. Callen came by and read the sports section of the newspaper and magazines about sports to him. He noticed that he was somewhat restless and took that as a good sign.

When it was Sam's turn, he regaled Marty with some embarrassing stories of G. Callen, the legendary agent. If Callen had heard him, Sam would have been in big trouble. Sam was chortling when he told Deeks, "You wouldn't believe this one time Deeks. Callen had to go undercover as a hairdresser. I was in stitches hearing him with a french accent talking about hair products. He even had to style some woman's hair! I don't think I've ever seen anything like the style he came up with. And he sold it to the woman as the newest style out of Europe. He actually convinced her she would be the talk of the party she was attending. It's a good thing the operation ended before she went to her party because what happened was in the newspapers. She had come completely unglued and was screaming she was going to kill her hairdresser because she was sure he had been paid to humiliate her in front of her friends!".

Eric came and talked about the waves and how all the surfers were missing him. He told him they had asked Eric to let him know they were wishing him well and that his cover story was that he had been injured in an accident but would be back to the beach in no time.

Nell read to him or talked to him about Kensi and how she had been by his side for the entire time except when Hetty forced her to take a break. Every time she said Kensi's name, she saw his nose twitch. She reminded herself to ask Kensi what it meant.

Hetty talked about trips she had taken and the various exotic teas tasted. She promised him his own tin of the Gushan Silver Needles White tea he had enjoyed while initially discussing his assignment in her office. She ended her visit with "Oh Mr. Deeks, quit laying around. This is getting ridiculous. Kensi has been inhaling chocolate. If you don't want to come back to a partner with diabetes, you should hurry and wake up."

Some friends from LAPD came by to visit as well. Lt. Bates had been involved in wrapping up the case, but he had called Hetty every day for an update on 'the kid's' condition. She and Lt. Bates had discussed Marty thoroughly. Lt. Bates admitted to Hetty he was sorry to see him resign from the police department but he knew Marty was finally going to be where he truly belonged. When it was his turn to talk to him alone, he talked about all the undercover operations Marty had completed and reminded him again that he had the highest success rate in the department.

Through it all, though it appeared Marty just lay there, sometimes he heard them talking, he just couldn't find the energy to respond in any way and would drift off again listening to the voices.

Kensi was there all day except when she was ordered to take a short break and go home and shower. She only left the room when someone was there. Once she went home, she spent a little time at the neighbors with Monty and took him for a walk. She knew he was missing his 'Daddy' and assured the dog that Daddy would be home soon, smiling every time she thought of Marty as 'Daddy'.

By the end of the day, there still hadn't been any sign Marty was going to wake up any time soon so Sam snuck back into the room while Kensi was in the bathroom and told him "Come on, enough is enough. You're scaring Kensi. I expect to see you awake tomorrow morning, bright and early." He then snuck back out of the room before she returned. _"He couldn't have his gruff reputation taking a hit now could he"_ he thought to himself.

Kensi sat back down by Marty's bedside and laced her fingers in his. She was tired of waiting for him to wake up but she kept reminding herself of what Dr. Wilson had said. Thinking about when Marty would wake up, she drifted off to sleep. It was the first night since he had been admitted to the hospital that she slept all the way through until morning. She had a dream during the night where she got everything she had never known she wanted. When she remembered it later that morning, she marveled at how her unconscious mind had made the decision about her future for her.

She remembered the dream _"They had been walking on the beach hand in hand with Monty roaming around when Marty stopped, turned to her and told her he wanted to ask her something. He had trouble getting his thoughts together and finally just blurted out "Do you remember when we were undercover as Melissa and Justin looking for the Russian mole?" _

_She had simply said "Yes." _

"_You know, I still have what's required", waving his hands down his body, "to help you make some little mutant ninja assassins" he looked at her with trepidation. She could tell he was worried that he had ruined their 'thing', but her heart was soaring. _

_She grabbed his hand and said "I'm not ready yet, but I will be one day and the only person I would want them with is you." _

_Marty wrapped his arms around her waist and began twirling her around and laughing with wild abandon. "How did I get so lucky, Princess? I never thought I would want children but I do. But I feel the same as you. You're the only one I want them with!"_

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August 8th

Kensi was half asleep in the chair she had occupied for days holding Marty's hand when she thought she felt a small twitch of his fingers. It was early in the morning with the sun streaming through the window of his room and turning his hair to molten gold. "Marty, come on, move your fingers again" she said. She was holding her breath waiting when another small twitch was felt and she could see his eyes moving under his lids as if he was looking for something. Smiling, she continued to encourage him "Come on Marty, wake up. It's time for you to show me those beautiful blue eyes. Make a little effort here Sweetcheeks, my butt has been asleep for days."

She about danced for joy when he turned his head toward her voice. It took a few more minutes but she could see his lids beginning to flutter. "Come on, open your eyes, I'm right here. Come on Shaggy. Everyone has been waiting to see you."

Marty could hear someone talking to him as if they were miles away. He was still so tired he wanted to go back to sleep but felt someone holding his hand and wanted to see who it was. As more of his senses became functional he realized he could smell something…sunshine and gunpowder…Kensi…his everything. He now knew it was her talking and just had to see her so tried over and over again to open his eyes. _"Why do they feel so heavy? Where am I?" _He kept concentrating on opening his eyes and finally met with some success. Everything was blurry and the sun hurt his eyes causing him to snap them shut several times, but after numerous tries, he finally was able to keep them open and make out her face and her long brown hair.

"There you are. I've been waiting for you to wake up."

"Did I die? I feel like I died…whoa, deja vu…I'm in the hospital…again…really?" his voice was low and raspy.

Kensi reassured him "Don't worry about that right now. Just concentrate on getting better. Everyone has been worried about you."

"What happened? How long have I been here?" he coughed a little as he whispered.

Kensi handed him some water stalling for time as she tried to figure out what to say. She wasn't sure she should say anything, but she could tell he was starting to get anxious so answered him "You've been here for five days."

"Five days? Did I get shot? I don't feel like I got shot." To say Marty was confused was an understatement. He was desperately trying to remember something, anything. He felt like he was disconnected from reality and needed something to keep him grounded. "Kens…tell me…I can't…I can't remember what happened." he was beginning to get agitated.

Pushing the call button to summon a nurse, she encouraged him "Shhh Marty, it's okay. You're fine now. Take slow breaths with me…in…and out…in…and out. That's right, just follow my lead. You'll feel better in a minute." She was gratified to see him breathing in time with her and could tell he was calming down.

When the arriving nurse saw that Marty was awake, she paged the doctor and began taking his current vitals. "Are are you feeling Marty?"

"Um...confused mostly." he replied looking at Kensi the whole time.

"That's to be expected, everything is looking good. You're temperature is back to normal. I've paged the doctor. He should be here in a couple of minutes to tell you what's going on."

The doctor walked into the room just as the nurse finished with Marty and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Dr. Wilson. I've been overseeing your care since you got here."

"What's wrong with me Doc?" came the response with another cough.

"You've been a very sick man, but I'll let Kensi give you all the details later. What you need to know right now is that you're getting better and will make a full recovery. I'm encouraged by your progress, I was actually expecting you to take a little longer waking up" he smiled while looking over Marty's records. "You should be able to go home in a few days as long as someone stays with you."

"Why am I coughing?"

"You had pneumonia." Dr. Wilson told him he would probably be coughing for a while to completely clear out his lungs from the bout with pneumonia, but it was a good thing. The more he coughed, the faster his lungs would clear.

"Is that why my throat feels so dry? It was hard to get his words out. They came out raspy and just above a whisper. He just didn't have the strength yet to talk any louder.

"No, that's from the vent" Dr. Wilson replied.

"I was intubated? Just how bad was I?" Marty murmured to himself.

"Thanks Doc" Kensi took over the conversation from Marty who appeared deep in thought. "Marty, I'll be right back" she said, motioning to Dr. Wilson to leave the room with her. "I'm just going to get you a special treat."

"You're all I need Princess"

"Shh" Once they were both outside the room, Kensi told the doctor about Marty's initial reaction and asked if there were any details she should keep from him.

"You know him better than I do, follow your instincts and I'm sure it will be fine. If he gets too upset, call one of the nurses and if necessary, she'll contact me."

"Okay. I know he just woke up, but can he have some coffee? He usually mainlines the stuff and I know it will calm him down as weird as that sounds."

"I don't think one cup will hurt though I don't usually recommend it. But you know your partner better than I do, and if you think it will calm him down I'm willing to give it a try. One cup only though and make sure it's decaf, he doesn't need any stimulants right now. I wouldn't even allow him one cup of decaf if his kidneys hadn't healed as well as they have." the doctor cautioned.

"Got you." she returned to the room and noted the nurse was still there talking to Marty about getting him cleaned up and changing the sheets to making him feel more comfortable. "Marty, while the nurse is finishing up here I'm going to run an errand. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Kens…" his look told her he didn't want her to leave him.

"How about you let the pretty nurse give you your sponge bath and change the sheets. By the time she's finished I'll be back, I promise" Kensi reassured him running her fingers through his messy hair.

"Really…you're telling her to give me a sponge bath…really? I'd rather you had your hands all over this awesome body Kens."

"Now I know you're feeling better" she laughed. "I'm just going to call the guys and get you a surprise. Behave yourself or you won't get it." With that she gave him a light kiss on the forehead and headed out the door. Running out to her car, she called OPS to let everyone know Marty was awake and things were looking up. She dashed to Starbucks and got him his soy latte just like he liked it, making sure to ask for decaf. She picked up some coffee for herself along with some pastries and headed back to the hospital.

~,~,~

"You look much better. Were you good while I was gone?"

"You make it sound like I'm five Kens. Give me some credit for being a grown man" Marty pouted.

"No pouting or you won't get your surprise, she held up the bag and the cups from Starbucks.

"Coffee…really…I get to have some coffee? Elation tinged his words.

"Yes, I got the okay from the doctor for you to have some coffee…one cup only though. I also got you the cheese Danish you like."

Sitting down in the chair by his bedside, she told him. "Here's your treat." She handed him his coffee and danish then proceeded to enjoy her own. He only took a couple bites of the danish as she consumed her pastries content watching her while she finished. He took one more bite of it and then laid it down.

"Thanks Kens…I really enjoyed that."

"Are you done already? You didn't eat much."

"Yeah, I guess sleeping for five days has really taken it out of me. I actually feel sleepy again but I want…no I need to know what happened to me."

Setting her cup down, Kensi leaned against the bed. "Move over" she instructed him, stretching out beside him, then gathering him into her arms. "What do you want to know?

"Are you trying to seduce me Kensalina?" he murmured as he snuggled into her side and tucked his head under her chin like a little boy.

"You're in no shape right now to even think about seduction, Shaggy. You couldn't handle me right now, but I know in just a few days, I'll be in very good hands" she smirked "Hold that thought until then. What's the last thing you remember?

"Um…I remember I was undercover as Max, right?" God, I hate that alias. There were guns involved I think…yes that's right. I was at a meeting between a guy…Riccardo?...and some buyers…at a warehouse?"

"Go on" she encouraged him.

Trying hard to recall the meeting, he continued "I opened the door to where the guns were…it was, um, I think it was a boxcar. After that it starts getting fuzzy. I…I remember I felt edgy and a little sick. I thought it was just nerves you know…so I ignored it…I wanted to get the meet over with and end this case…the meet was successful and Riccardo was elated…why do I remember whiskey?

"You're doing great, just take your time" giving him another kiss on the forehead she waited while he continued gathering his scattered thoughts.

"A toast…Riccardo toasted the completion of the deal with whiskey…I didn't want to drink it, but figured Max would…and I wanted to maintain my cover. Then…there's nothing…it's all a blank…I think I remember hearing voices…but I couldn't recognize them…and I saw my dad. Kens…he had a knife and he was coming at me with it…it was huge. He is dead right?" he was getting more and more agitated, so she began to rub light circles over his back to calm him down She was so glad it was Marty talking to her and not his alias. "I think I was seeing monsters…one of them attacked me and I tried to defend myself but I couldn't…then I saw black skies…there were colors all around me…rainbows…and eyes, lots of eyes, but I couldn't find yours…more colors…I was hearing some kind of music but I couldn't tell what it was. I thought I was going crazy…did I go crazy?" his voice was broken when he asked her that question.

"No Marty, you didn't go crazy. Do you remember anything else?"

"The rest is a just a jumble sounds and images until I heard you. You're why I woke up. I had to see you. Tell me what happened Kens…I need to know"

Pulling him even closer, she wrapped a leg around him and began talking. "You were drugged. The door handle was coated with a drug developed by a Mexican cartel combined with DMSO so you would absorb it through your skin. Do you remember Harvey?" at his murmur of acknowledgement, she continued "He also dosed your glass of whiskey with Rophenol and LSD.

"He "roofied" me? and then dosed me with LSD?" Marty blurted out. "That's why I can't remember?"

"Yes, he was working for the Mexican cartel to take out Riccardo and his men. He decided to get you out of the picture before he ambushed the others. He didn't know about the raid and it went down before he could put his complete plan into play. He was going to kill you.

"You were so affected by the drug combo you didn't know what you were doing let alone what anyone else was doing by the time the raid began. Harvey was going to shoot you in the head, but as incapacitated as you were, you were able to deck him." Kensi could feel Marty's breathing slowing down and his body becoming almost boneless in her arms and knew he was almost asleep so she whispered "Let it go for now. I'm here and we'll talk more later. You're safe with me." Before she knew it, she was asleep as well.

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AN: Are you happy? Marty's awake!


	10. Chapter 10: Unhooked

Not mine…not mine…my minions are in tears. As always, I don't have a beta reader so any and all errors are mine alone. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and those who are reading the story. It's very gratifying!

Enjoy.

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Rounding the corner and peering into Deeks' hospital room later that day, the entire team stopped dead with smiles plastered on their faces at the sight before them. Both Kensi and Marty were asleep in his hospital bed. She had him wrapped in her arms as if he was her child and had one of her hands resting over his heart.

"It looks like Miss Bly is finally getting some sleep. She's been running on fumes" smiled Hetty.

As they continued to watch, Marty opened his eyes and saw the team standing in the doorway. After looking over and noticing Kensi asleep, he motioned for them to come into the room. "I think she's been missing some sleep" he whispered.

"You're right Mr. Deeks. She's been very worried about you, as have we all"

"Really…aw Hetty…I knew I was your favorite." he smirked as he looked at Callen and wiggled his eyebrows. "She hasn't told me everything yet. All I know is I was drugged. Did we get the weapons? Was anyone hurt?

"Yes we did. And no one was hurt, except for Riccardo and you, at least not badly"

"What do you mean? not badly? Who got hurt besides Riccardo and me?"

Callen had been waiting for this moment. "Well you laid Harvey out like a sack of potatoes when he shot Riccardo. I had to handcuff you to keep your cover intact. Once the remaining members of Riccardo's team and the buyers were rounded up and taken away, I took your handcuffs off but instead of thanking me you slugged me in the face!"

Marty looked at Callen with horror "God Callen, I'm so sorry. I don't remember that at all. You did hit me back, right?

"Nope, you were too out of it for me to take a punch at you. But you and I…we have a date in the gym once you're back on your feet and feeling better." Callen waved his hands between them while giving him a deadpan stare.

"Um, okay…Hetty…help…" Deeks pleaded.

"I think you'll be okay Mr Deeks. You don't have to worry about anything else right now except getting better. Oh, and I've kept my promise. I'm sure you'll be relieved to know Max is dead. He died of an overdose the night you were admitted to the hospital."

"All Marty could think to say was "Thanks, Hetty."

Kensi had been sleeping soundly, but the talking, though quiet, woke her up. Realizing that the entire team was in the room, she began blushing. "It's okay Kens, Marty assured her, "everyone knew you were tired and the bed is more comfortable than the chair anyway…and I'm in the bed…and you want to ravish me because you think I'm awesome."

"Keep it up Shaggy, and I'll punch you in your arm even if you are in a hospital bed. And who said you were awesome…either your head is swelling or you're hallucinating again." she retorted.

There came the pout she was looking for "You'd punch me after I've just woke up…Really…not nice Kens, not nice at all."

Everyone began laughing at their antics and forgot to tease Kensi which was what Marty was trying to accomplish. He knew she was still a little leery about the team knowing just how close they had become over the last few months. Giving him a look of gratitude, she slid off the bed and asked "Did anyone bring me some food. I'm starving here."

At that, everyone sat down and passed out the food they had snuck into the room. Marty was even able to eat a few bites while everyone was talking and laughing over past cases and life in general. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to be part of this dysfunctional little family group. He was taking it all in and smiling whenever someone caught his eye, even though he was pretty quiet. As they continued to talk, Sam looked over at him and realized he had fallen asleep again. He just pointed at the bed getting everyone's attention. Taking that as their cue, they left the room.

Hetty told Kensi she could spend the night, but then she expected her to go home and get some actual rest in a real bed…"I'll be here in the morning to spell you Miss Bly."

Kensi climbed back into bed with Marty and snuggled into his side. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

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August 9th

"When can I go home, I'm bored" Deeks whined.

"You can't be bored, you just woke up yesterday. You haven't even been out of bed yet. I'll bet you're going to have to build up your strength just to walk."

"Will not, I'll show you…I bet I can get up and walk right now" he replied starting to push his blanket down to the end of the bed so he could stand up and show her.

"I don't think you're going to be able to get out of bed with the IV, the nasal cannula, the heart monitor and…oh yes, the catheter still in place Marty" she snickered, watching as he blushed furiously.

"They catheterized me? Seriously?"

"Oh come on now. You were unconscious for five days. What did you think they did, put you in a diaper?" she was outright laughing now he looked so pathetic.

"Kill me now…just put me out of my misery why don't you. I'm never going to hear the end of this if the guys find out I didn't even realize I had a tube up my…well you know…my 'man parts' pointing his hand toward his groin." and grimacing.

Kensi was laughing so hard now, she could barely stay in the chair. "God Marty, the look on your face…it's priceless!" she chortled.

"Laugh it up Kens…You're mean you know that…laughing at a man when he's unable to defend himself…that's just mean…and evil. How can you laugh at me? I almost died you know."

She sucked in a breath so hard, Marty realized he had reminded her of the last five days when she hadn't been sure whether he would live or not. Then she started crying with huge tears rolling down her face. He felt like an absolute heel and quickly tried to get her to stop "Shh Kens, I'm sorry, shh. It's okay, I'm here and I'm never going to leave you Princess…light of my life. I didn't mean anything by it, I wasn't thinking. Don't cry please, I hate it when you cry. I'm so sorry. Come here sugarbear." He gathered her up in his arms and continued apologizing while wiping away the tears with one edge of his hospital gown. "Shhh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I know you've been worried, and here I am being a complete ass."

"Yes you are" she cried, "but you're my ass." Marty was caught off guard by her answer but then started chuckling which which in turn caused them both to begin laughing hysterically at the vision her words conjured up.

"Wait…if I'm your ass doesn't that mean you're my ass? Marty said once he caught his breath. "I don't know, I think I like your ass better on you than on me, by the way. It would be kinda yucky…and creepy for me to be feeling up my own ass now, don't you think?" That set both of them off again. They were both laughing so hard all they could do was hold onto each other and try not to fall out of bed.

The nurse couldn't understand why they were so red in the face when she entered the room and just looked at them with a puzzled frown which again set them off. Once Kensi was finally able to speak, she said "You had to be here. It was kind of an inside joke."

Okay…it's great to see you two laughing together. Can you give me a little time with Marty? I'm here to remove some of the equipment he's attached to."

Neither she nor Marty could look at each other. Kensi managed to choke out "I'll just get a breath of fresh air and be back in about five minutes"

When Kensi returned, all she and Marty had to do was look at each other to start laughing again. It felt so good. She had been worried for five long days. Five days that felt like an eternity. Hearing him laugh again and yes, even give her a hard time, reassured her that he was truly getting better. He was giving her a mock glare, but there was a definite twinkle in his eyes.

"So, were your 'man parts' damaged?"

Marty almost choked "Kensi, I can't believe you just asked me that! How could you? Oh I know, you just can't get enough of this awesome body. You want to take a look and make sure my equipment is still in good working order, don't you?"

"Was it ever in good working order?"

"I have it on the best authority that it was!" He was grinning like crazy. "This really hot chick, name of Fern, checked me out thoroughly and declared herself completely satisfied I'll have you know. She said I was the best specimen she had ever seen and I lived up to the hype."

"Fern huh." Kensi was trying hard not to start laughing again. "Who is this Fern and should I be worried?"

"Fern is this awesome chick I met at an MMA gym and got lucky with. She has insanely long legs and the 'bod from God' and for some reason she thinks I'm great."

"She does huh? Don't you mean she's insane, not that she has insanely long legs? Anyone who thinks you're great has to be insane" she teased him.

"Aw Kens, you know you're the only girl for me." Marty's eyes were twinkling and he was grinning like a fool.

She decided to change the subject before they both went into hysterics again. "Do you want to sit on the edge of the bed and dangle your feet?" she asked him.

"Why can't I just get up and walk around?

"Let's wait until Dr. Wilson gets here and gives you the okay. I don't want you falling and hurting yourself. And if you want to get out of this hospital any time soon, you don't want to either. She couldn't help herself. "And you never know, he might want to examine your 'man parts' while he's giving you a good looking over" she giggled as he began to blush again. "You wouldn't want anything to be wrong with those 'parts' now would you?" she whispered. "I know I wouldn't."

"I'd rather have you examine my 'man parts'" he pouted.

"Just wait until I get you home alone. I'll examine your parts very thoroughly"

He waggled his eyebrows at her while smirking. "Promises, promises, Kens…you're an evil, evil woman. Just what are you planning on doing to me? You will be gentle with me right?"

"I'll be gentle…after I punch you in all your bullet holes. And then I'm going to give you a thorough examination…very thorough."

"Isn't that my department" Dr. Wilson commented as he came into the room causing both Kensi and Deeks to blush bright red. "I hear there's been some talk on your part, Marty, about wanting to get out of here. Tired of us already?"

"Don't get me wrong Doc, I'm really grateful for all the care you've given me, I just want to go home." Giving the doctor his attention, he had his fingers crossed behind his back that he would get good news. Even though he hadn't been awake that long, he was becoming stir crazy having to stay in the hospital. He had never liked them, they reminded him of when he was a kid and the emergency rooms he had been in after each of his father's drunken rages left him bruised and bloodied.

"Let's see how you do standing up, first" Dr. Wilson positioned himself on one side while Kensi positioned herself on his other side. "Slide off the bed slowly. Let me know if you feel any dizziness."

Marty did as he was told and felt like a million dollars when he was able to stand on his own without them having to steady him. Sure, he felt as weak as a kitten, but he was standing on his own two feet. "Let's see if you can walk to that chair in the corner now" Dr. Wilson continued. "We'll be right beside you if you need any help." Marty carefully put one foot in front of the other and after what felt like a mile but was in reality only 10 steps, he sank gratefully into the chair. He couldn't believe how tired those ten steps had made him feel. He was definitely out of shape.

"Great job Marty." Kensi felt like singing for joy. "How do you feel?"

"Well to be honest, it really tired me out. I can't believe I'm so weak!" he groused.

"Marty, your body has been through a lot. It's not just because you've been in bed; your body experienced some major trauma, you stopped breathing at one point and also developed pneumonia from all the drugs given to you. I'm impressed you've done as well as you did this morning. Do you feel like trying to make it back to the bed now?" the doctor asked.

"Um, can I go to the bathroom first, Doc?"

"If you think you can make it, sure" he replied. "But let me or Kensi help you to the door just to be on the safe side. If you do that, we'll get you up again this afternoon and see how you do walking a little further. If that goes well, and you do what you're told, I may be persuaded to let you go home tomorrow if someone stays with you."

"Really…I can do that… I just want to get out of here and go home!" Marty was ready to leave right then, but he realized just how much the short walk had taken out of him and was trying to be patient for Kensi's sake.

After making his way to the bathroom with Kensi's help and then getting back into bed, Marty felt as limp as a wet noodle. She climbed up in bed with him so they could snuggle and told him to just close his eyes and rest for a while. Within five minutes he was completely asleep, so Kensi slipped out of the bed to let everyone know the good news.

Over the course of the afternoon and evening, Marty was able to make several trips from his bed. Each trip was longer than the previous one until he was able to slowly walk down to the nurses station, rest for a bit and then walk back to his room. The nursing staff that had been taking care of him marveled at how fast he was recovering. They knew how close he and Kensi were and were pleased they were getting their happy ending. It didn't always happen with their patients, but when it did, it reinforced their desire to continue helping people.

~,~,~

AN: He's up and moving. Going home is next.


	11. Chapter 11: Home

If NCIS Los Angeles was mine, there would be no reruns in the middle of the season! But not mine. No beta reader so any and all errors are mine alone.

Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing. It's greatly appreciated.

WARNING: There are adult scenes in this chapter, nothing I feel is too explicit, but if you don't want to read that type of thing, it's best to stop reading this chapter when they leave the beach.

Enjoy.

~,~,~

CHAPTER 11: Home

August 10th

True to his word, Dr. Wilson had agreed to let him go home that morning on two conditions. Someone who have to stay with him for at least a week and he had to come back for an appointment in two days. Marty would have agreed to almost anything to get out of the hospital. He had even agreed to call the doctor the minute any symptoms recurred or he felt ill in any way.

He was waiting impatiently for his discharge orders, squirming like a small boy who had been told to sit still but was unable to do so. His knee was bouncing up and down and he was picking at the bandaid over the IV site in his hand. "What's taking them so long?" he grumbled.

"Marty, they'll be here in a minute with the papers and the wheelchair and we'll be out of here" Kensi had answered this same question several times and was getting slightly exasperated with her partner.

"I don't need a wheelchair. Why do I have to have one, I can walk" he grumbled under his breath. Unfortunately, Kensi heard him.

"Do you want to get out of here and go home?

"Of course I do!"

"Then quit grumbling or I'll leave you here and let Sam take you home and take care of you." Kensi threatened. She was completely ignoring the fact that she was much worse than Marty when she was in his position.

"Seriously?…That's just…mean, Kens…mean…and evil…and…and really mean. You're one mean woman!"

Before she could threaten him with an arm punch, the nurse entered the room with his discharge papers, meds and the wheel chair. Kensi gave Marty a sharp look and pointed at the wheel chair. With a huff, he sat down while she gathered the cards and gifts that had accumulated during his stay. "Hold these and I'll break you out of here" she smiled sweetly.

They left the room and proceeded down the hall accompanied by a chorus of 'goodbye' and 'get better' from the staff. Marty smiled and waved as Kensi pushed him out of the hospital and to her car. Once all the gifts were in the trunk, she opened the door for him and let him get himself seated and buckled in.

On the drive to his apartment, Marty leaned against the edge of his open window and enjoyed the fresh air. "Kens, do you think we can go to the beach this afternoon? Not to surf or anything like that, but just to sit and relax in the sand?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sounds like a great idea. I think we could all use some sun. How about you take a 'power' nap when we get home while I get us something for lunch and retrieve Monty from next door. Then we can all go to the beach after lunch" she happily agreed. She knew the beach was something his soul craved and also knew how refreshing it would be for all of them to be together there. She continued "And I was thinking…Are you up to having everyone over for dinner tomorrow? I know they all want to see you once you're home. They've been as worried about you as me. I could get everything set up. You wouldn't have to do anything except enjoy the food and company."

His face lit up in a huge smile and his eyes began to twinkle as he thanked her for agreeing to the beach and for the dinner suggestion for the next day. "This is gonna be great! The beach today and a team get-together tomorrow. Awesome! Oh, so what's my surprise when we get home?

"What surprise…I never mentioned a surprise" Kensi acted confused.

"Really?…didn't you say 'wait until I get you home alone'? Well, we're going to be home soon, right…and we're going to be alone, aren't we? So what do you plan to do to me Kiki…can I hope it's something wicked and depraved?"

"Well I did say I was going to punch you in all your bullet holes. Is that what you're talking about?" she couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. Talk about disappointment along with that adorable pout she would never tell him she loved to see. He used it enough as it was. If he knew just how much she loved it, he would use it on her all the time. "Why don't we wait until after the beach. I think I might be able to come up with something wicked by then."

He smiled and little crinkles appeared around his eyes. As she continued toward his apartment, he began daydreaming about what she might come up with. _"Maybe I can talk her into wearing a nurses outfit…or no, she'll be wearing a bikini because we'll be at the beach. Then I can slowly remove it and anything else she's wearing, all the while showing her how much better I'm feeling. I'll blow behind her ear and have her begging me for more." _Without realizing it, he fell asleep with a smile on his face. When they arrived home Kensi looked over at him and noticed he was sleeping. She couldn't help but heave a huge sigh of relief. Her entire body relaxed as she realized he really was going to be fine. When she noticed the nose twitch, she began softly laughing and reached over to give his cheek a kiss. "Come on Marty, wake up, we're home."

He couldn't believe how much the trip up to his second floor apartment exhausted him so he just kept on going toward the bedroom and his bed. He collapsed onto it, asleep almost before Kensi could get him under the comforter. Making sure he was okay, she left him to his nap and ran out to get some groceries and take-out for lunch. She called the team and made sure everyone was available to come over the next day. They all agreed to bring food and drinks so Deeks wouldn't have to do anything but enjoy their company. Getting home about two hours later, she put the groceries away, retrieved Monty from next door, set out lunch, then went into the bedroom to wake Marty. As luck would have it, Monty beat her to him and the first thing Marty was aware of was a whimpering bundle of fur on top of him giving him doggy kisses and whining in relief to see his 'daddy'. Laughing he said "You were right, Kens. He did miss me."

"Of course he missed his daddy. I have lunch on the table. Do you feel up to eating and hitting the beach?"

Marty's eyes lit up. "I'll be right there. Let me take a quick shower first."

After lunch, they spent a relaxing afternoon at the beach with Kensi throwing a frisbee for Monty to chase while Marty just relaxed on the blanket and reveled in the sun on his skin, the feel of the sand and the smell of the ocean. Once Monty tired of the frisbee, they took a walk along the beach stopping to rest whenever Marty needed it. He could feel his strength returning little by little. He had the woman of his dreams by his side. He was at the beach. His dog was with them. Life couldn't get much better as far as he was concerned.

~,~,~

"What do you want for dinner?" Kensi was going to let Marty choose.

"I can think of a lot of things I want, but none of them involve food…unless you're talking whipped cream or chocolate sauce or caramel sauce…or do you have something else you're thinking of that is equally wicked" he hinted with a glint in his eye.

"Why Marty, whatever do you mean? she murmured.

"You said you could come up with something wicked by the time we got back from the beach" he whined. "I've been waiting patiently all day".

"Well…we do have some time before dinner, so if you're sure…" Kensi stood and slowly began unbuttoning her wrap.

"I'm sure…really…I'm ready and willing. Stop Kens…let me take care of that." Marty thought his heart was going to come out of his chest as he slowly revealed Kensi's body. He finished unbuttoning her wrap and slid it off her shoulders, stopping to kiss her neck and blow behind her ear. He always got a moan from her when he did that. Next, he continued the kisses down her neck to the tops of her breasts as she arched her back and pressed against him. He reached behind her and untied the string to her bikini top and revealed them. Sliding his tongue over each nipple he could feel them harden. Taking one breast in his mouth and suckling while kneading the other one had Kensi almost keening in desire. Once he slid the bikini bottom off her he had to stop and just look at the vision in front of him. He never got tired of seeing her naked.

It was now Kensi's turn. She slid his shirt off and slowly unbuttoned his Dockers. Sliding them down she helped him out of them after removing his shoes. When she slid her hand inside his boxers and began fondling him, it was his turn to let out a guttural moan. "God Kens, be careful or I won't make it to the bedroom." he whispered.

"Come on then…I have lots of ideas…but you have to come help me."

"Baby, I'd 'come' with you any time" Marty wiggled his eyebrows. I'll follow you to the ends of the earth and beyond."

They proceeded into the bedroom closing the door on Monty. "Sorry Monty, mommy and daddy need some private time." Kensi pushed Marty down on the bed. "Let me lead the way Sweetcheeks" she whispered. She slid his boxers off and then straddled him. She looked down at him then leaned forward and began licking his nipples like he had hers. She could feel him harden between her legs as she lavished attention on each nipple in turn. After she had him thoroughly hard and moaning in anticipation, she arched her back again so her breasts stood out and then guided him to her and slowly took his entire length into her. Once he was as deep inside her as possible, she proceeded to show him just how wicked and depraved she could be. They came in unison, then lay in each others arms as they caught their breath.

At some point, Kensi got up and disappeared into the kitchen, coming back with something she hid behind her. "What you got there Kiki? Marty asked.

Kensi just looked at him in awe. He'd looked like a debauched angel lying naked in front of her. She brought her hands from behind her and showed him the can of whipped cream. "I thought we could have some more fun, Marty. Do you think you're up for it? she purred.

"If I'm not, what are you going to do to me" he whispered.

"Oh, I think I'll be able to remedy that little problem." Taking the can of whipped cream she squirted some over the head of his penis and before he could react, she took him into her mouth, sucking and sliding her tongue over and around him. As she swallowed the whipped cream, she would add more as she felt him hardening again until she could take his entire length into her mouth and down her throat over and over again.

"Kens, oh God Kens, please stop. if you don't stop, I'm going to come and I want to be inside you when I do" he groaned desperately clutching the sheets with his hands to keep from grabbing her head and encouraging her to continue.

Kensi looked up at him and smiled. She crawled up his body and he flipped her over so he was on top for their second round of love making. Afterward, they fell asleep all tangled up in skin.

~,~,~

A series of barks interspersed with scratches on the door woke Kensi up. She glanced at the clock in disbelief at the time; 8:00 pm. Marty was still asleep so she left him there and dressed quickly. Leaving the bedroom door open a crack, she took Monty outside for a short walk and let him do his business. Once Monty was relieved, they returned and she threw together a light supper of soup and sandwiches taking a tray into the bedroom with the supper on it and waking Marty.

On opening his eyes, he gave her a look of such love and devotion it almost brought her to tears. He did it to her every time with that look. She still didn't understand why he had never given up on her when she pushed him away, insulted him and completely ignored the feelings that welled up inside her. He had never left. He took whatever she dished out. He would get angry ('dogs get mad, people get angry') sometimes, but he never left. She had been too afraid to admit to herself she loved him until she almost lost him after the torture.

"I made a light supper. It's pretty late. Sit up and we can eat in bed." She handed him the tray and climbed into bed beside him.

"This looks good, thanks Kens" he was able to eat one whole sandwich and the small bowl of soup provided. "I think my appetite is starting to come back."

"Good, you lost entirely too much weight while you were in the hospital. I can count all of your ribs and your pants look like they could slip off at any moment. You need to get some meat back on those bones."

"You can take my pants off any time you want baby girl" he leered at her. "Can I unveil your beautiful assets?" He waved his hands in front of her body.

Their love making this time was slow and sweet; both of them worshiping the other with their hands and tongues. There were moans and little whimpers of pleasure. There may have even been begging involved on both sides before they reached the stars and climaxed together leaving them panting and loose limbed in each others arms. "That was amazing Marty" Kensi whispered.

"I aim to please, my lady."

"You're incorrigible Deeks!

"Insatiable is a better word baby girl. You inspire me." he looked at her with infinity in his eyes.

~,~,~

AN: I had a lot of trouble with this chapter because I don't usually write adult love scenes. I hope I did them justice. We're coming to the end of this story. There are only two more chapters to go.

Reviews are welcome.


	12. Chapter 12: The Party and Announcement

Still don't own them. Only one more chapter after this one. Virtual hugs and kisses to everyone who has enjoyed this story whether or not you posted a review. I've had a great time writing this. On with the chapter!

~,~~

Chapter 11: The Party and Announcement

August 11th

The following morning was spent lounging around the apartment and watching movies. They took Monty for a walk and basically enjoyed their time alone together. Marty asked what they were going to feed their guests but Kensi let him know that the food and drinks would be arriving with the team so they didn't have to do anything. The team was arriving around 5 pm so she convinced him to take a nap before anyone arrived so he could enjoy the party later while she picked up around the apartment. Since he was feeling somewhat tired after walking Monty, he didn't put up a fight. He laid down and was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. He didn't wake up until he heard Sam's voice in his living room. Looking at the clock he was surprised to realize that it was already after 5. He had slept for almost 3 hours!

Marty staggered into the living room still half asleep to find Sam, Michelle and Kensi talking.

"Its about time you joined us sleepyhead. We were about to call in the calvary to wake you up." Sam told him

"I didn't realize I was that tired." Marty yawned, "I meant to be up before this. Why didn't you come wake me Kens?"

"It's just after 5 and Sam and Michelle are the first ones here, so I wanted to let you sleep a little longer. You are still recovering, Shaggy" Kensi reminded him.

"Yeah, you're right…I guess."

"You know I am. I'm always right" she teased him.

"Where are your kids?" he asked Sam looking around but not seeing them.

"They're spending the week with their grandparents, so we're on our own. And enjoying every minute of it." he and Michelle exchanged coy glances.

Over the next few minutes everyone else arrived. Greetings were exchanged and the food and drinks were laid out on the small table and along the kitchen counters. Everyone dug in with gusto while enjoying the company of each other, the successful completion of the assignment and Marty's recovery.

"I have something I want to tell you guys," Marty said once he had finished eating.

The other's were still enjoying their food, but gave him their attention. Giving Hetty a glance and nervously rubbing his hands on his jeans he began. "I'm not going to be your liaison officer anymore." Before he could continue everyone started talking at once.

He heard "What, you're going back to LAPD? Why?", "No, you can't quit!", "You're one of us, you belong at OSP!" and "Hetty, tell him he's one of us."

"You're not letting me finish!" he said holding up his hands to forestall any other comments. "I'm not going to be your liaison officer anymore because I've resigned from the LAPD and signed the papers to become an agent. I resigned at the beginning of this operation. It became official once the op was completed. I signed the NCIS papers and gave them to Hetty at the same time. I couldn't just leave LAPD high and dry when they needed my help, but they know and agree that it's the last undercover assignment I'll be doing for them" he concluded.

Sam was the first one to recover "Well all I can say is it's about time. I told you you'll make a great agent."

"Thanks Sam"

"Marty, why didn't you tell me?" Kensi asked in a small voice.

"I didn't want you worrying anymore than I already knew you were Kensalina", he reassured her.

"Congratulations man" came from Callen. "I'm glad you finally came to your senses. I think our 'family' is finally complete."

Everyone else chimed in with congratulations before Hetty steered the conversation in a new direction. "Mr. Deeks, how are you doing?" she asked. "When do you see the doctor?"

"I see him tomorrow. I'm hoping he'll clear me for work soon, desk duty if nothing else."

"Well I've got an announcement for everyone too. Since we've successfully concluded this operation, and there are no new cases on the horizon, I've decided to give you all a few days off. I don't expect to see any of you until Monday. Enjoy." Hetty informed the team. "Oh, and Mr. Deeks, the doctor will inform me when you can come back to work after he sees you tomorrow. I hope I'll see you next Monday as well."

The dinner and team get together continued late into the evening. Marty was beginning to tire but didn't want the party to end. He was enjoying having everyone there. He didn't realize Hetty had been keeping tabs on him until she declared it was time for everyone to leave. Although he hadn't wanted the evening to end, Marty couldn't help but be grateful for her attention to the way he was feeling. As soon as the last person left his apartment, he let out a huge sigh "As much as I enjoyed that, I'm wasted. I'm so tired, I don't think I can make it to bed", he told Kensi.

"I'll help Marty, come on. You are still recovering." Kensi helped him up off the couch and they slowly went into the bedroom where she helped him undress and tucked him into bed. "I'll make sure everything is locked up and be right back.

"Thank you Princess, I love you…you take such good of me" he murmured as he snuggled down into the pillow and fell asleep.

She just smiled and made sure everything was taken care of and then crawled into bed with him. She snuggled into him and felt his arm come around to pull her closer. Feeling loved and content, she followed him into sleep.

When Marty woke the next morning, he couldn't help but laugh. Kensi was in her classic star fish position, but one arm and leg was draped over him as if she wanted to make sure he didn't go anywhere while she was asleep. He tried to get out of bed without disturbing her, but the subtle motion woke her up. "Where do you think you're going Mister?" she asked still half asleep.

"I want to get a shower, sugarbear. Just stay here and relax, I'll be out before too long and I'll make us breakfast while you shower. That is unless you want to conserve water and join me." he replied suggestively.

"Go on, I'll take Monty out for a walk while you shower. I'll shower when I get back while you make breakfast. What are you going to make me?"

"How does an omelet with bacon and orange juice sound?" at her disappointed look he continued "along with coffee and a surgery surprise for my princess?"

"Sounds yummy, I'm starving!"

Marty was still in the shower when Kensi returned from walking Monty. She slipped out of her clothes and surprised him by slipping into the shower behind him while he was washing his hair. He almost collided with the shower head when she slapped his butt. "Can't get enough of me, eh Princess?" he leered pinning her hands above her head with one hand and pressing his length against her while kneading a breast with the other.

"I got hungry for something other than food", she whispered.

"And that would be what?" came back as Marty began suckling at her breasts in turn.

"You" Kensi wrapped her legs around Marty's waist. He continued lavishing attention on her breasts, gently biting her nipples until they hardened then swiping his tongue over and around them before taking each one in his mouth and suckling some more. Kensi was moaning with pleasure each time he suckled a breast. She never tired of the sensations he was able to make her feel. Once he felt he had given her breasts the attention they deserved, he claimed her mouth in a sole-searing kiss pressing his tongue against her lips to get her to open her mouth for him. They spent several minutes exploring each others mouth with their tongues before he grabbed her ass to get the correct angle then guided himself into her. He took his time thrusting slowly in and out as he watched Kensi's face take on a glow. When she started moaning again and begging him "Faster Marty, faster, please!" he picked up the pace knowing he wouldn't last long. Just as Kensi climaxed, Marty felt himself losing control and his thrusts becoming more erratic. He pushed himself inside of her as far as he could just as he came and then concentrated on holding them both up as they slowly rode out their climaxes and came back to themselves after what both of them agreed was earthshaking.

Marty was the first to recover and let Kensi finish her shower while he made them breakfast.

~,~,~

Marty was nervous as he waited to see the doctor. He was feeling better every day and he wanted to be cleared for work but was worried about what the doctor was going to tell him. His knee was bouncing and he looked like he was about ready to bolt out of the waiting room when Kensi put a hand on his knee and soothed him "It's going to be fine Marty. This is a routine follow-up visit."

"You sure Kens? What if he says I can't go back to work or there's something else wrong with me?"

"You're fine…I should know. You've been very energetic" she sniggered.

"You've just been taking advantage of me, haven't you Fern." You are so depraved…but I love it and you" Marty whispered causing a slight blush to rise up into Kensi's face. Before she could respond, the nurse came out and told Marty he could see the doctor. He grabbed Kensi's hand and pulled her after him. When the nurse gave him a look, he stated "She's coming with me, she's my partner."

Taking him at his word, the nurse led then to an exam room and took his blood pressure, temperature and weight. "The doctor will be in shortly". she stated leaving the room.

~,~,~

Marty was getting antsy again waiting for Dr. Wilson. Just as he was about to tell Kensi he was leaving, the door opened and in came the doctor. "Hello Marty, how are you feeling today?"

"I'm good. Can I go back to work on Monday?" he anxiously asked.

"Let me take a look at your current results and check a few things first, okay?" Dr. Wilson replied. He looked over Marty's chart, checked his heart and pulse. "Have you had any after affects? Things like flashbacks, anxiety, trouble sleeping?"

"No, in fact I've been sleeping really well. Kens and I have taken some walks and I'm feeling better every day. I'm not quite up go speed yet, but I think I will be by Monday which is when everyone is supposed to report back to the office including me. That is if you clear me." he replied hopefully.

"Hmmm…Kensi do you agree with what Marty is telling me, or is he hiding something from me?" the doctor asked her.

"Wait…seriously…you don't believe me?" Marty, gave the doctor a look of consternation.

"Let's just say I have a lot of experience with Hetty's troops and leave it at that." he replied.

Kensi came to Marty's defense "He's actually telling you the truth and not downplaying anything…for once" she said as she stuck her tongue out at Marty. "He still needs to gain about 10 pounds, but he's doing great over all.

"Mean Princess, you're being mean to me…again!" he gave her a look through his bangs hoping to make her feel guilty.

She just ignored him and continued "He was really tired the first day home from the hospital, but like he said, he's been sleeping well and eating well. We've been walking every day…longer each time too."

"Sounds good" Dr. Wilson said. "I'll clear you to go back to work on Monday, desk duty only though." before Marty could protest, he continued "Stop by the receptionist and make an appointment to see me Friday the week you return to work and if everything is still looking good I'll clear you for field work."

"Thanks Doc" came two voices.

"You're welcome. Now get out of here and enjoy the rest of your vacation!"

~,~,~


	13. Chapter 13: Back to Work

Chapter 13: Back to Work

~,~,~

Monday came with Marty back, but on desk duty only. Since there weren't any new cases, the rest of the team was at their desks filling out their after-action reports while Marty worked on liaison paperwork. It was shared drudgery. The quips were flying fast along with jokes and good-natured taunts. They took turns ganging up on each other about some funny event or undercover operation that had taken an unusual turn. It was Sam's turn to get lunch for everyone and he was taking orders when Hetty appeared in the bullpen.

"Mr. Deeks, may I see you for a minute?

"Sure Hetty, I'll be right there."

As Deeks joined Hetty in her office, she handed him a small package, his badge and new Sig. Giving her a questioning glance he opened the package and found a box of the Gushan Silver Needles White tea that he and Hetty had drunk when they were first discussing the just-completed assignment and aftermath. "I believe I told you I would get you some while you were still in the hospital" she smiled.

"Thanks Hetty, I enjoyed the tea and will definitely be drinking more. Was that all?"

"No, I have something else for you." Handing him a set of car keys, she continued "Since you no longer have your LAPD issued vehicle, I've made arrangements for you to have an NCIS issued one. It's waiting for you in the garage. Why don't you take Miss Bly out for a test drive in your new car?"

He couldn't believe his eyes, the keys were for a Jaguar, Hetty was giving him a Jag! Grabbing Kensi and heading to the garage he saw his new car and just stood there in awe. It was a silver 2014 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe with a black leather interior, power windows and seats, a sun roof and more bells and whistles than he could shake a stick at. It even had exotic wood for the instrument panels. Kensi looked at him and began to laugh. "Close your mouth before you start catching flies, Deeks"

"What?…oh…seriously? Do you see this car? This is my car!" he stammered running his hands over the hood.

"Yes I do. Are you going to give me a ride in it sometime soon?"

"Only if your good to yours truly. What will I get in return?" he teased her.

"How about a punch to your arm!"

"There's my badass Bly. Get in…get in!" Marty opened the door for her then ran around and climbed into the driver's seat to begin checking everything out.

They both buckled up and he gunned the Jag out of the garage. He was in heaven. He was in the car of his dreams with Kensi beside him. Maybe he had done something good in his life after all. Right this instant, he didn't think life could get any better than this. His car, his girl, the sun in his face. Wow! was all he could think. Marty put the car through it's paces as they drove down the coast and back. Every so often he would look over at Kensi and a smile would light up his face.

~,~,~

Returning to OSP after his test drive, Deeks strode into the bull pen and up to Hetty. With a huge smile on his face, he grabbed her in a hug, actually lifting her off of her feet and began swinging her around crowing. "Thank you so much! The car is awesome!"

"Put me down you cheeky bugger!" she exclaimed.

"Oops…sorry, I'm just so excited" Marty apologized as he put her back down. "The car is just…I've always dreamed about a car like this…but never thought…it's out of this world! What can I say, except thank you again. The car is so awesome…I'm repeating myself…but…really…I don't care! The car matches me in all my awesomeness! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Sam, Callen and Kens just stood there laughing. They had never seen Deeks this excited. It was like watching a little boy get exactly what he wanted for Christmas. His entire being was glowing and he had the biggest smile lighting up his face. They knew he had had a horrible childhood and were amazed at the man he had become. He deserved this.

"Back to work you lot. The paperwork isn't going to finish itself." Hetty reminded them as she returned to her office.

~,~,~

At the end of the week, Deeks received a clean bill of health from his doctor and the okay to go back into the field. He and Kensi celebrated with a Titanic showing along with ice cream and beer. It was fast becoming a tradition of theirs. "I'm glad I'll be back with you in the field come Monday, Kens. I know you can take care of yourself, but I worry when I'm not with you to watch your back."

"Me too, Marty, me too" was all Kensi said in reply.

Come Monday morning, Deeks arrived at OSP with his authorization to return to field duty in his hand. As he entered the bullpen, he noticed that no one was around except for Callen. Kensi had left before him, so they wouldn't arrive together but she was nowhere to be seen either. "Where is everyone?"

Callen looked up from his desk and grinned "You're the first one here except for me. Glad you got in a little early since we have a date in the gym."

"Uh, date in the gym? What date in the gym?" Deeks gulped.

"Don't tell me you forgot about punching me in the face during the op" retorted Callen. He was having fun watching Deeks try to come up with an excuse to get out of going to the gym.

"I don't remember. I was 'roofied' you know and I can't remember much of what went down" Deeks replied.

"Doesn't cut it man, now follow me like a good probie agent." Callen said while motioning Deeks to follow him. Deeks looked like a little boy being told to go to the principal's office. He was glad no one was around to see what was sure to be his humiliation at Callen's hands. But he felt like he deserved it for punching his team leader even if he couldn't remember doing so.

Callen led the way to the gym and as he began opening the gym door he shoved Deeks before him into the room just as a chorus of "Congratulations, Mr. Agent man!" came from what looked like everyone who worked at OSP. The look on his face was priceless. He didn't know what to do so stood there feeling heat rushing up his neck and turning his face red. "What…how…well this is better than getting punched out by Callen" he finally managed to blurt out causing the entire room to burst into laughter. Hetty made the formal announcement of his decision to become an agent to the room and presented a cake for everyone to enjoy before their workday started. Everyone came by and shook his hand and said things like "Glad you finally decided to join the team." and "It's about time." or a simple "Congratulations man" before grabbing a piece of cake and going their separate ways for the day.

Nell and Eric came up to him and told them they had video of the whole thing from the time he arrived at the mission to the cutting of the cake. "I would like to have a copy of that" he told Nell. "This was great, thanks guys."

~,~,~

Deeks sat at his desk a little while later thinking about everything that had happened since Max's 'last stand'. He was glad Max was dead. All was right in his world. He had a job he loved, the woman of his dreams in his life and something he never thought he would ever have. A family who cared about him and looked out for him.

Fini

I hope you enjoyed this story. Raderle


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